Switzerland
Due to a lack of professional recognition and an often precarious legal status, migrant domestic workers were especially impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Many faced job losses and financial hardships almost overnight. Moreover, support measures were not adapted to their needs and reinforced the longstanding failure to acknowledge the work
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Low wages, limited access to social protection and benefits, temporary or seasonal labor contracts, and employment through recruitment agencies or subcontractors are all defining characteristics of precarious work. The COVID-19 pandemic – marked by constant uncertainty and rapid change – has exacerbated precarious working conditions for many, especially for migrants.
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Almost a third of those living in Switzerland were born abroad. “It’s Nice” is a snapshot of the lives of some of these individuals working in small businesses across Zurich. The intention was to move beyond migration statistics and complex integration theories, and simply portray personal stories. It emphasizes the
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Switzerland’s seasonal worker statute – abolished in 2002, tied residence permits to employers. According to theory, such regulation gives employers greater bargaining power in wage-setting and could lower wages. Strengthening immigrants’ social and economic rights through the Agreement on the Free Movement of People (AFMP) may have helped reduce the ...
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Existing research assesses positively the introduction of the private accommodation system for Ukrainian refugees in Switzerland. This system effectively reduced the pressure on state structures during the peak period of their arrival from Ukraine. Host families, however, played a much greater role in the lives of Ukrainians than simply providing
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