The case

Specialised agencies are helping international managers integrate into Switzerland.

The commentary

There are 50,000 expats settling down in Switzerland each year – and where we find huge international companies, there are expats and a new kind of business has developed around them: Relocator agencies act as jacks of all trades for expats, and most of them are centred around Zurich and Geneva. Statistics show that every third person aged between 26 and 35 years is a temporary resident staying for one year. 14 % of the people living in Zurich state that English is their main language of communication – as opposed to 1.8 % in the year 2000. Most of the foreigners in Switzerland are Italians, followed by Germands and Portuguese.

Still, the economy is not really gaining momentum. Even though the Swiss economy is in better shape than the one of other countries, it could still do better. ETH Zurich’s Swiss Institute for Business Cycle Research (KOF) stated at the end of last year that the economy has been slumping and that KOF’s business barometer in December 2024 was below the long-term average – a clear sign that the future for Switzerland’s economy can be viewed with restrained optimism only.