The benefits of finding a job in Switzerland are juicy: high wages, at least four weeks holiday and an unemployment safety net that beggars belief. But with fierce competition and vital paperwork, you need to do your homework before setting out, writes Marcus Berry.

"/> The benefits of finding a job in Switzerland are juicy: high wages, at least four weeks holiday and an unemployment safety net that beggars belief. But with fierce competition and vital paperwork, you need to do your homework before setting out, writes Marcus Berry.

" />
Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
SWITZERLAND LIFESTYLE GUIDE

JOBS

Finding a job in Switzerland

The benefits of finding a job in Switzerland are juicy: high wages, at least four weeks holiday and an unemployment safety net that beggars belief. But with fierce competition and vital paperwork, you need to do your homework before setting out, writes Marcus Berry.

Published: 28 February 2011 17:21 CET
Finding a job in Switzerland

With one of the best-paid workforces in Europe and an equally gold-plated social safety net, it’s easy to see why working in Switzerland is so attractive. These factors are enhanced by low crime, picture-book scenery and the very best winter sports facilities. 

There are hurdles however . . . The work force is small, competition is fierce and while EU/EFTA accords have eased employment restrictions for member states, job seekers from outside Europe will find their attempts hampered by red tape. 

 Job seeking sources

Nowadays the best job finding resources in Switzerland for English-speakers are online.

The Local’s own jobs section has listings of hundreds of English-speaking jobs across Switzerland. 

Sites such as Jobwinner.ch (Jobup.ch in French-speaking regions), or the more executive alpha.ch and MPB , are popular among both job seekers and employers. Depending on the canton you will find scores of offers from companies that require staff armed with an English mother tongue. 

The service provides a free system to download your CV and cover-letter and send them directly to the employer. It works. However, don’t expect too much from merely posting your CV on the site (another service) – much better to be proactive. 

Perhaps the best newspaper sources are the Tagesanzeiger (Zurich) 24Heures (Vaud) and Tribune de Genève (Geneva) which publish employment sections one day per week.  

Agencies including Adecco still form a major pillar of the Swiss employment market but are generally more useful for applicants already in possession of a work permit. 

Considering the transient nature of expat life, speculative applications are certainly worth a shot. Before mailing your cover letter and CV, identify your target: Personalabteilungsleite in German or Directeur de Ressources Humaines (French). Addressing these officials in their respective languages if possible will win brownie points. Many Swiss consider that English speakers don’t make enough linguistic effort and they have a point. This brings us to . . .

Language requirements

Although Switzerland employs three major national languages, English is frequently used in the work place. Nonetheless, knowledge of German, French and, to a lesser extent, Italian is going to be an advantage. Take note though – the German-Swiss dialect contains vocabulary and expressions entirely alien to high German speakers. On the other hand the French used in Switzerland is more manageable and far slower than say, the machinegun delivery of Parisians. Meanwhile, both Chinese (Mandarin) and Russian language skills are fast becoming valuable additions to linguistic requirements.

Permits 

EU/EFTA members enjoy the right to move between cantons, change jobs, bring their family into the country and for those family members to work. They can spend up to three months in Switzerland searching for work if they choose. If intending to spend more than three months here they are required to register with the canton of residence. 

 For non-EU/EFTA nationals the process is far more painful. Annual quotas are limited and employers are obliged to prove that the job on offer isn’t one that could be filled by a local. Permits are also restricted to those with higher education. 

If you get that far and have agreed terms, the employer will send you an official job offer. The HR department will then apply for your residency in the same canton. If accepted by local authorities, your employer will send you a Zusicherung der Aufenthalsbewilligung or Autorisation de Séjour, essentially pre-approval for residency. This is the document you must present to secure the final residency permit when you arrive in Switzerland. Be warned – the entire process could drag on for several months and promises of a permit from your potential employer should be taken with a pinch of salt. The final decision lies with the canton. 

International organizations are major employers in Switzerland, especially in Geneva. Work permits are not required and staff are issued with a special ID card (Identitätskarte or Carte de Légitimation).

Interviews

Swiss companies are scrupulous about screening and we’ve also heard from some natives and long-serving expats that wearing a watch to a job interview is a consideration. While we’ve yet to confirm or refute this claim, it would be a shame to risk disqualification over such an oversight. 

Wearing a tie is probably the safest option, but there are increasing signs of relaxation in the Swiss workplace. This depends on the company you’re aiming to join. If in doubt, ask what is expected.  

Taxes

Holders of B permits – generally the version newcomers are awarded these – are taxed at source according to cantonal fiscal regulations. This means you never get to see the cash. As soon as you graduate to a C permit, which takes five to 10 years, then you are required to process your own contributions. 

Politics

Some perceive that the rise in power of the right wing Swiss People’s Party (those behind the infamous ban on the construction of minarets) in recent years has prompted an increase in national xenophobia. 

Nonetheless, it’s worth remembering that the majority of the population doesn’t share these views and embraces easier employment policies, provided immigrants respect Swiss customs and stay out of trouble.  

Working illegally

Not advised. 


For members

CRIME

‘Fake ads’: How to avoid the latest job scam in Switzerland

Online scams are widespread in all areas of life, including, increasingly, among Swiss job adverts.

Published: 6 August 2024 13:24 CEST
'Fake ads': How to avoid the latest job scam in Switzerland

With the chronic shortage of qualified workers, many Swiss employers are actively looking to hire new staff.

They advertise vacant positions online, opening the door to scammers to post fake job adverts of their own.

Increasingly, scammers are disguising themselves as legitimate employers to obtain sensitive personal information from job seekers.

“Around a quarter of all job offers are fakes,” said Jean-Philippe Spinas, director at Kienbaum Executive Search in Zurich recruitment consultancy.

Specifically, scammers pretend to be HR managers and publish fake job offers in order to obtain sensitive personal and financial information about people who send in their applications.

“It is becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate between real and fake offers,” Spinas added.

What are the scammers looking for?

As any legitimate employer does, fraudsters also ask candidates to send in the curriculum vitae (CV), which normally contains a lot of personal data that scammers are after: telephone number, email address, date of birth, and address. This information is then used to deduce passwords or to create a digital profile.

In the ‘best’ case, you will have to put up with unwanted calls, spam, or other contact attempts.

But under the worst-cast scenario, fraudsters will steal your identity and pretend to be you when setting up telecom and other accounts, because when contacted by phone, you are usually only asked for your date of birth, mobile number, or similar information to identify yourself — all of which scammers have obtained from your CV.

How can you protect yourself?

The key word here is ‘vigilance’.

Identity check

Just as employers vet candidates, you too should ‘screen’ the interviewer.

Your first red flag should go up if the ‘employer’ doesn’t identify him / herself or the company clearly, allowing you to verify their legitimacy.

“Ideally, the job offerer should identify themselves to the candidate,” Jean-Philippe Spinas pointed out.

If they give only minimal information about themselves, or are dodgy in their answers, ask the ‘employer’ to contact you via Linkedin. The platform can be used to determine whether the company, and the recruiter, are real.

Don’t disclose too much

“In the age of online applications on the most diverse platforms, you should always ask yourself: how much data will I reveal during my first contact with the employer?” Spinas said.

If a lot of private information is requested from candidates online, this should arouse suspicion.

For that reason, you should not send your CV, which contains personal details — including, typically, a photograph that can then be copied and used for illicit purposes — to unidentified / unverified employers.

READ ALSO: How to write the perfect CV for a job in Switzerland 

This is the latest employment scam that is widespread in Switzerland right now.

But ‘older’ ones are still circulating around the country.

For instance, the scammers are contacting their victims via messaging services such as Whatsapp and Telegram, presenting themselves as job recruiters who seek people in Switzerland who can work from home.

So far it sounds legitimate, except that “candidates are lured by promises of extraordinary earnings that are disproportionately high relative to the nature of the tasks to be performed,” according to the the National Centre for Cybersecurity (NCSC), which monitors faudulent activities online.

Problems begin after recruitment, when candidates are directed to a platform where they must register to obtain assignments. “It is an imitation of a legitimate website,” explains the federal authority.

All salary and bonus payments must be settled via this fake platform and recruited workers must pay most of the fees themselves.

You can find out about this, and other scams perpetrated in Switzerland, here.

And this article also provides valuable information about how not to fall victim to various scams:

READ ALSO: How to avoid the most common online scams in Switzerland 

SHOW COMMENTS