Before every election, Switzerland is flooded with advertising targeting migrants
As reported by Swissinfo.ch, the study "Panorama of Swiss Society in 2020: Migration – Integration – Participation" (Panorama Gesellschaft Schweiz 2020: Migration – Integration – Partizipation) was carried out in collaboration with experts from the Universities of Neuchâtel and Fribourg. By examining a number of key indicators such as income level, living conditions, employment situation, and mobility, the authors of the study reached some interesting conclusions.
• The number of people with foreign passports in Switzerland currently stands at about 2.1 million (equivalent to 25% of the permanent population of 8.5 million).
• The number of people aged 15 and over with a migration background (including those with citizenship) reaches 2.7 million (or 38% of the total population).
• The employment rate of migrants in the year of their arrival in the country is generally much lower than that of Swiss citizens, but the longer a migrant stays in the country, the smaller this gap becomes, although it never completely disappears.
• A third of migrants leave the country within the first year, and half "hold on" for up to three years, but then still buy a one-way ticket.
• Households with a migration background have lower disposable income and are less likely to own their own home; they are also larger, so income and assets are divided among more people, meaning each person generally has less income than the average member of households without a migration background.
• Overall, migrants "pay more into the Swiss social security system than they receive in return." Moreover, "the taxes they pay have a positive effect on the gross domestic product."
• Internal migration within Switzerland is also a very noticeable trend. Each year, about 9% of the population with a "migration background" changes their place of residence. On average, every person living in Switzerland moves 7.5 times during their lifetime.
Moves usually occur within the same municipality (commune). Moves over distances of more than 100 kilometers account for only 2% of all migrant moves.