The canton of Zurich’s population growth is primarily driven by international immigration,largely through the labor market. A recent analysis, “Employment migration to the canton of Zurich,” conducted by the Office for Work in collaboration wiht the Office for Economy, examines this immigration, focusing on it’s impact on the labor market, identifying who immigrates, and which industries and professions they work in. The analysis excludes the non-self-reliant resident population and the asylum sector, focusing on those with protection status S.

Labor Market Needs Drive Immigration

Immigration is largely driven by the demands of the labor market. According to economy director Carmen Walker Späh, “The more domestic job seekers there are, the deeper is the work immigration. If, conversely, if the number of available workers in Germany falls, the need for foreign workers and business immigration increases accordingly.”

“Employment migration rejuvenates the canton of Zurich, which has a positive effect on demography in particular,”

between 2010 and 2024, an average of 15,000 more people immigrated to zurich from abroad annually. Approximately 76 percent of immigrants of working age have been employed within the past three years. After about ten years, this figure rises to 83 percent, exceeding the employment rate of the entire Zurich residential population of working age.

Young and Highly Qualified Immigrants

New entrants to the zurich labor market are,on average,ten years younger than the existing workforce,with a median age of 32 years. Economic monitoring from the Office of Economy indicates a widening labor market gap in the canton, with more people retiring and fewer young people entering the workforce. “Employment migration rejuvenates the canton of Zurich,which has a positive effect on demography in particular,” says Carmen Walker Späh.

Historically and currently,more men than women immigrate to Zurich for work; in 2023,men accounted for 58 percent of labor immigrants. Nearly 70 percent of workers who immigrated in the past three years hold a tertiary degree, compared to around 60 percent a decade ago. This trend is not unique to immigrants but is particularly pronounced within this group. The high proportion of highly educated immigrants is attributed to the presence of numerous international corporations and global headquarters in Zurich, particularly in the IT and finance sectors, which actively recruit specialized professionals.

The IT and interaction sector is a major employer, with approximately twelve percent of immigrant workers employed in this industry, primarily in software development. Though, immigrants are employed across a wide range of professions, from finance and management consulting to gastronomy and cleaning. According to study author Miriam hofstetter from the Labor Competence Center, “Immigrants are frequently enough active in professions at the upper and the lower end of the spectrum of qualification requirements.”