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With the limitation initiative, the SVP wants to end the free movement of people. The data shows how migration has developed in Switzerland.
A net immigration of almost 100,000 people to Switzerland in 2008; Figures like these led the SVP in 2011 to launch the so-called Mass Immigration Initiative (MEI). This was accepted by the people three years later with a narrow majority; However, since the SVP is not satisfied with the implementation, it is now supposed to lead the restriction initiative that wants to end the free movement of people in the EU. However, according to polls, the new initiative is in a difficult position.
One reason could be that migration pressures have been drastically reduced since the MEI was adopted. In the last three years, the migratory balance, that is, the difference between immigration and emigration, was less than 50,000 people in Switzerland. The retirement provision and the healthcare system have been at the top of the Swiss barometer of concerns lately.
The free movement of people was quickly taken advantage of: the share of immigration from EU / Efta states in net immigration has increased dramatically since the early 2000s and has stabilized at 60 to 80 percent. In 2015 it was a bit lower, also due to the refugee crisis. In the 1990s, on the other hand, immigration from the countries of the former Yugoslavia dominated the course of the Balkan Wars.
Individual groups of immigrants who made a significant contribution to the high level of immigration in the 1990s are now turning their back on Switzerland. Currently, more Portuguese citizens are emigrating from Switzerland than immigrating to Switzerland, which is due in part to the economic recovery in Portugal in recent years. Germans are also much less numerous than ten years ago. The fact that the economy in the neighboring country to the north grew faster than in Switzerland sometimes plays a role.
By contrast, immigration from Italy and France remains stable. Since the introduction of the free movement of persons, the negative net migration of Italians has changed and the French continue to be more numerous than before the signing of the agreement. Italy, in particular, has never fully recovered from the 2008 financial crisis. In France’s case, one factor is that Switzerland remains attractive with its high wages.
If the migratory balance is also differentiated according to immigration and emigration, it can be seen that the lower balance is mainly due to the increase in emigration. It increased steadily from 2003 to 2018; 130,000 people emigrated from Switzerland last year. Pure immigration has remained relatively constant since 2007.
Another aspect of migration that is often forgotten is that of Swiss citizens. The number of emigrants has increased in recent years, approximately one in four people who emigrated in 2019 was Swiss. The number of Swiss citizens who returned to the country or set foot in Switzerland for the first time was more than 7,000 fewer.
According to a report by the ETH Zurich Center for Economic Research (KOF), it is mainly young Swiss who emigrate who start a job abroad, or retirees who want to spend their retirement abroad. Some of them are naturalized people returning home.
Besides the USA and Thailand, the most popular emigration destinations are also many European countries: France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Great Britain or Portugal. According to the Federal Statistical Office, around 470,000 Swiss were living in EU or EFTA countries in 2019, almost 120,000 of whom only have Swiss citizenship.
The monthly statistics from the Secretary of State already show how much the Crown crisis is affecting immigration to Switzerland. The May figures, in particular, were significantly lower than the previous year because entry restrictions were in place. However, the figures have recovered and are already well above the level of the previous year.
Although immigration fell 2.6 percent in the first half of the year compared to 2019, emigration was 13.2 percent lower than last year. The conclusion is that there is a net migration of 24,032 people from the EU / Efta states during the first half of 2020, 13.2 percent more than last year. This plus is also due to the good economic situation that prevailed in Switzerland until the outbreak of the pandemic, writes the SEM. Another reason is the limited travel options in the Crown crisis, which is why emigration has dropped considerably.
Methodikhinweis:
EU-17 / Efta countries: Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Portugal, Sweden, Spain, United Kingdom, Cyprus.
Malta and Cyprus joined the EU after 2002, without these two countries the group is called EU-15 / Efta.
EU-8 countries: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary.
The introduction of full free movement of people was always preceded by a transition phase in which quotas and priority for residents were applied first, then valve clauses. The SEM has created a summary of the exact dates.
