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May 2021
| Interview with Marco Taddei, Head of the International Affairs Department and Member of the Management Board, Swiss Employers' Confederation (SEC)
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Mobility of the skilled and unskilled workforce is a highly debated issue on the migration governance agenda. In this interview, Marco Taddei shares their role and perspective on this topic, as well some of the concerns regarding Covid-19 and migrant workers in Switzerland:
As a national employers’ federation, what is your role (or position) with regards to the mobility of skills (in Switzerland as a country of destination as well as the respective countries of origin)?
In the eyes of the Swiss Employers' Confederation (SEC), migration policy should enable companies to recruit skilled and unskilled workforce in a simple, efficient and unbureaucratic manner.
It is clear that the prosperity of Switzerland, which earns every second franc abroad, depends to a large extent on its economic openness and its corollary: an open labor market. Several studies show that since its entry into effect in 2002, the agreement on the free movement of persons with the EU has contributed to the creation of almost one million jobs in Switzerland.
But behind this success hides another reality: the shortage of manpower. Already today, many companies are facing an acute shortage of specialists, due to the retirement wave of the baby-boom generation. The growing needs of companies for specialists cannot be met by native personnel alone.
Can you describe some of the activities that are a consequence of your engagement on skills mobility?
Only public policies that are accepted and supported by the communities concerned prove to be fully effective. This is also true for migration policies. Switzerland has understood this. It has established shared governance, which includes the actors concerned by migration phenomena.
In order to institutionalize this collaboration, the Swiss government has set up organizations that bring together public authorities and social partners, including the SEC, at regular intervals. Two examples are the Federal Commission for Migration and the Federal Tripartite Commission for Accompanying Measures.
What are the main pertinent issues in relation to COVID-19 and migrant workers (in Switzerland as a country of destination as well as the respective countries of origin) and how do you address them?
The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the crucial role played by cross-border assets in Swiss companies. In the spring of 2020, our borders were closed for several weeks. These restrictions included the introduction of screening controls at customs and the closure of many border crossings across the country. These customs harassments disrupted the daily lives of tens of thousands of border residents and, in turn, the activities of several so-called “essential" sectors of our economy (health, cleaning, food trade). It should also be remembered that nearly 30’000 French cross-border commuters work in the health sector in Switzerland. Based on these observations, the SEC has called for the suppression of restrictions at the border.
