Following the economic crisis and the suppression of many jobs worldwide, it is difficult to address the issue of labour shortage. In Switzerland, the lack of workers was very evident before the crisis and will continue to be problematic for the country’s social welfare system for decades to come. Indeed, each economic sector will be affected by the potential threat of a shortage of workers. To fill this gap, Swiss organizations are primarily hiring workers from the European Union (EU). Due to the shrinking size of the Swiss population, less people will attend professional schools in the future and the ageing of the population will impact the demand for semi-skilled workers and the whole economy.
In regard to the legislation concerning workers from other continents, only those with very high qualifications have the ability to obtain a work permit. These two points demonstrate the need for an extension of the legislation to non-EU semi-skilled workers.
Raymond Saner & Nicolas Velebit, La Vie économique », 2009, Bern : State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO Vol. 5-2009, pages no. 57-60··
