Including Refugees in the Labour Market: the Swiss Approach

Author(s) : Antje Barabasch, Ursula Scharnhorst, Seraina Leumann

Source : https://zenodo.org/record/5761275

“With rising numbers of refugees entering Europe the question of how to include the newly arrived in the local labour market becomes both prevalent and controversial. The education and training system within the host countries will play a major role in preparing the new workforce for job placements; this includes the recognition of prior learning, cultural and language integration. All of this has to be addressed while resident permits might only allow residing in a host country until a safe return to the home country can be expected. Switzerland has a long tradition of immigrants entering the country and its VET system (where the apprenticeship track is predominant) has played an important role in integrating them into the labour market. Immigrants due to humanitarian reasons represent only about 4% of all foreign residents and just under 1% of the total population of Switzerland. However, 60% of the asylum migrants are under 26 years old and will probably stay for a long time, so integrating them into VET and the labour market is important.“