Resources for employers in Switzerland
Resources for employers in Switzerland
We use “refugees” as a term encompassing forcibly displaced people with different legal statuses, including refugees, who have been granted asylum, subsidiary and temporary protection holders.
In cases where differentiating information relating to each status is essential (i.e. regarding the right to work), this is indicated.
Why hire refugees and stateless people in Switzerland?
Employing refugees and stateless people can be a means of remedying labor shortages in Switzerland across different industries. The Swiss Skills Shortage Index points to a critical situation in Switzerland in multiples sectors and trades, including healthcare, construction, plant operators and drivers. Both Swiss authorities and employers have identified the potential to better integrate refugees into the Swiss labor market as a response to labor shortages. At the cantonal level programs have been created especially to encourage and support employers to hire refugees.
IKEA Switzerland is a pioneer in the employment of refugees in the country. Around 300 refugees benefitted from their integration programs. Currently IKEA runs three programs specifically for refugees:
- Integration pre-apprenticeship – a federal one-year program which offers a fixed workload of 2 days of school and 3 days of professional training.
- IKEA refugee internship – a six-month program which aims to be a door opener into the Swiss labor market, with 20% of the worktime used for on-the-job language training.
- Ready To Perform – a six-month program aimed at refugees with advanced professional and language skills who face the obstacle of diploma recognition. In 2017 IKEA Switzerland published a toolkit documenting the experience and lessons learned, available here.
How many refugees and stateless people are there in Switzerland?
As of 2024, there were approximately 196,000 refugees in Switzerland, 17,000 asylum-seekers and 1,200 stateless people. The top three countries of origin of refugees were Ukraine (66,000), Eritrea (38,000) and Afghanistan (22,000).
Visit the Refugee Data Finder to learn more
How many of them are working?
Official government statistics (from October 2025) estimate that 126 889 people from the asylum domain were of active work age. The overall occupational rate among them was 36%. The employment rate was lowest among asylum-seekers (5.5%), compared to 44.9% for provisionally admitted persons, 40% for recognized refugees, and 35.5% for beneficiaries of temporary protection.
Visit the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) Statistics on Asylum page
What are the main challenges?
One of the biggest challenges refugees and stateless people face in accessing the job market in Switzerland is limited proficiency in one of the Swiss national languages. Other frequent hurdles include: a lack of recognition of previous professional experience, qualifications, and diplomas; lack of awareness by employers on rights attached to the different residence statuses; discrimination during the hiring process; and lack of childcare options. Older refugees and refugee women experience exclusion from the job market even more acutely.
On the occasion of World Refugee Day in 2024, three NGOs (SINGA Switzerland, Yojoa and Association découvrir), in collaboration with the Federation of Swiss Enterprises, launched the first Swiss Charter for the Inclusion of Refugees in Enterprises. Signatories of the charter commit to making internal practices more inclusive, engaging employees on inclusion issues, fostering an inclusive supply chain, and more. Employers can sign the charter and become part of the inclusive economy.
Sign the Charter for inclusion of refugees in enterprises here
| Status | Who it applies to | Right to work? | Process |
| Asylum-seekers (N permit) | Individuals who have lodged an asylum application in Switzerland. | Not for the first 140 days in Swiss territory, and it is compulsory that asylum seekers remain in a federal asylum center. If capacities allow, they may participate in occupational programs for community work. Following their allocation to a canton, asylum seekers can request permission to work, which is subject to authorization of the competent cantonal authority and only granted if certain preconditions are being met. | Asylum seekers may be permitted to work under the following conditions: 1) an employer applies for the permission, 2) the economic and employment situation allows it, 3) the conditions regarding salary, working conditions and precedence are met, and 4) the person concerned is not subject to a final expulsion ruling. The application for a work permit must be submitted by the employer to the competent cantonal migration or employment office where the job is based. |
| Recognized refugees granted asylum (B permit) | Persons who have been granted asylum because they fear persecution in the country of origin. | Refugees who have been granted asylum have the right to work. | There is no work authorization necessary, but the competent cantonal authorities must be notified by the employer in advance, and the salary and employment conditions customary for the location, profession and sector must be fulfilled. The notification is not necessary in cases where the activity is part of an employment program. |
| Provisionally admitted persons (F permit) | These are either:
| Provisionally admitted persons have the right to work. | There is no work authorization necessary, but the competent cantonal authorities must be notified by the employer in advance, and the salary and employment conditions customary for the location, profession and sector must be fulfilled. The notification is not necessary in cases where the activity is part of an employment program. |
| Beneficiaries of temporary protection (S permit) | Refugees from Ukraine who were granted temporary protection status S. Temporary protection will remain valid until the Federal Council revokes it. | Beneficiaries of temporary protection have the right to work. | As per changes introduced on 1st December 2025, there is no work authorization necessary, but the competent cantonal authorities must be notified by the employer in advance, and the salary and employment conditions customary for the location, profession and sector must be fulfilled. The notification is not necessary in cases where the activity is part of an employment program. |
| Stateless persons (B permit) | Persons who are not considered as a national by any State under the operation of its law. | Recognized stateless persons are regarded as equivalent to refugees recognized under the Refugee Convention of 1951 who have been granted asylum, and therefore have the right to work. Applicants for statelessness status do not have the right to work. | There is no work authorization necessary, but the competent cantonal authorities must be notified by the employer in advance, and the salary and employment conditions customary for the location, profession and sector must be fulfilled. The notification is not necessary in cases where the activity is part of an employment program. Stateless applicants do not have a right to work in Switzerland. |
For more detailed information on the legal framework in Switzerland, check out the Information page for persons from the asylum sector of the State Secretariat for Migration.
More information on statelessness in Switzerland is available here.
Bear in mind:
1. For regulated careers (e.g. in healthcare, education, etc.), refugees and stateless people need to have their qualifications recognized and/or prove their language capabilities in a Swiss national language.
2. Refugees and stateless people must notify the competent authorities not only in the case of employment, but also if they take training and education courses, traineeships, or apprenticeships.
3. One exception to the above rules is the case of working from home exclusively for a foreign employer. This is not considered gainful employment subject to a work authorization. However, income from such work is considered to be earned income and must be declared to the Federal Tax Administration as required.
How do I get in touch with refugee talent?
Swiss authorities will likely refer employers to mandated NGOs in their area or to the competent public employment service. In addition, companies can make use of existing job matching platforms. At the national level these include Path2Work, a platform launched by ETH Zurich and University of Lausanne which connects refugees with job vacancies, and Jobmate, a platform that supports job coaches to find the right match for their clients. Other examples at the cantonal level include FRintegration, a platform for exchange between job coaches assisting refugees and companies in the canton of Fribourg, and Refugees@Work, an information page for employers in Geneva.
What can I do to support refugee and stateless employees?
Employers who wish to support refugees and stateless people can take several steps to make their recruitment and onboarding process more inclusive. For instance they can: 1) be informed about the applicable administrative framework; 2) be open to assess the candidates’ motivation and soft skills during the recruitment procedure; 3) partner with NGOs assisting the socio-professional integration of refugees to find matches; 4) set up internship programs and trial periods to evaluate qualifications when credentials are missing; 4) allow employees to continue learning the language while on the job; 5) create a internal mentorship or buddy programs; 5) offer childcare support; etc.
Useful resources
Subsidies
The pilot program "Financial subsidies for the labor market integration of refugees and temporarily admitted persons" provides subsidies for employers in all cantons who employ refugees who require initial training. Employers are compensated for the exceptional training effort for a limited period of time, while the refugee can learn the required skills.
Job matching
Employers can reach out to competent authorities at the federal level (State Secretariat for Migration) or at the cantonal level (cantonal refugee integration support centers) to get matched with suitable candidates with refugee background. Regional placement services (RAV) can also match employers with jobseekers who may be of interest to them.
Pre-apprenticeship
The Integration pre-apprenticeship (INVOL) is a federal program for encouraging the employment of refugees through a one-year apprenticeship. Since the start of the pilot program launched in 2018 more than 4,700 refugees have followed a pre-apprenticeship. Of the 83% people who completed the course, 70% got direct access to initial vocational training. The program is currently implemented in 20 cantons. More information about the program can be found here.
The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) provides information for employers and refugee employees on its website in English, German, French and Italian.
A list of cantonal contact points for employers of refugees and provisionally admitted persons.
The UNHCR Switzerland page on Job Market Integration features several articles and reports of interest for employers.