Majority of Swiss feel immigrants are good for economy
24 August 2011
For concise and recent immigration information watch our news.
Unlike some European countries, people in Switzerland are not worried about immigration. The Swiss feel that foreigners are good for the economy.
Latest news
- 19 May 2012 Germany sees substantial increase in immigrant numbers
- 30 April 2012 Taiwan's visa-free access to EU is proving beneficial
- 10 April 2012 French President to reinstate passport checks if EU borders not tightened
- 12 March 2012 French president wants to reduce immigration further if re-elected
In a survey conducted by the Sonntagsblick newspaper, 26 percent of Swiss nationals have no concern whatsoever about levels of immigration into Switzerland.
64 percent of those surveyed in the western part of Switzerland feel that the number of foreigners in their country is at acceptable levels; An overwhelming 80 percent of those surveyed said that the Swiss economy benefits from their foreign workforce.
Switzerland has some of the toughest immigration controls in continental Europe. Some commentators have suggested that less immigration means less controversy over immigration.
One Country where immigration has been quite high over many years is the United Kingdom. There was an upsurge in immigration in 2004 when a number of former Eastern Bloc countries joined the European Union. Immigration from Commonwealth Countries such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh has in the past been quite high. Immigration was an important issue during the UK General Election of 6 May 2010. The Conservative Party which was seen by voters as being more anti-immigration than the other parties gained the most votes.
