The use of a person’s skills in their professional activity reflects the employment market’s ability to effectively leverage the professional resources brought by migration to Switzerland. Among the employed participants of the Migration-Mobility Survey, 40% stated that they fully used their knowledge and overall skills in their work, indicating a “very high extent” of skill utilization. This proportion reached 50% for North Americans, but was lower at 26% among the Portuguese.

Full use of professional skills was more common among men than women (42% vs. 38%). Similarly, individuals with tertiary educational qualifications had a higher frequency of skill utilization compared to those with secondary-level qualifications (45% vs. 31%). Furthermore, migrants who moved to Switzerland solely for professional reasons were more likely to make full use of their skills compared to those who moved mainly for family reasons (47% vs. 31%).

In which sectors of the economy do most of the migrants work?

How qualified are migrants in Switzerland?

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Source: Migration-Mobility Survey 2024, nccr – on the move

Note on methodology: These figures are taken from the Migration-Mobility Survey, conducted in the fall of 2024 on a population of persons born abroad and with foreign citizenship who have moved to Switzerland in the last 18 years. To be included in the sample population, respondents had to be between 24 and 64 years of age at the time of the survey, and at least 18 years of age on their arrival in Switzerland. 6,971 people replied to the full questionnaire, either online or by telephone.

The question asked: On a scale from 0 “not at all” to 7 “to a very high extent”, to what extent are your knowledge and overall skills utilized in your current work? By knowledge and overall skills we mean your formal education as well as the skills you obtained while working (on-the-job training).

Note: The “country of origin” is based on the “official” nationality attributed in the strata of the Federal Statistical Office of Switzerland, and not on the respondents’ self-declared nationality or country of origin.

Terms of use: The Migration-Mobility Indicators are made available free of charge for non-commercial use. We ask the users to acknowledge the source.

Suggested citation: nccr – on the move, Migration-Mobility Indicators. Neuchâtel: nccr – on the move, 2025.

For more information about the data sets used, please click here.

Last update: 3 September 2025