United States companies expanded their operations in Switzerland at a much higher rate than European counterparts last year.
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Total foreign direct investment in Switzerland increased considerably in 2024, rising from 89 to 111 expansion projects in 2024, according to a study published from auditing and consultancy giant EY.
This 24.7% annual increase appears to be part of a trend, since there were 58 projects in 2022.
It shows that while Europe is struggling to win over foreign investors, Switzerland is becoming increasingly attractive to foreign enterprises.
The US made a significant contribution to last year’s growth, with 27 projects, representing a 69% increase and the creation of 131 jobs.
The US is now the biggest investor in Switzerland, behind France and Italy. German companies have taken the opposite path, drastically reducing (-41%) the number of projects to 14, with 123 jobs created.
Swiss companies were not to be outdone, however, and are stepping up their presence in Europe. In 2024, Swiss investment in Europe rose by 4.7% to 247, creating 11,872 jobs, according to the European Attractiveness Survey.
France (57 projects, 1,149 jobs), Germany (47 projects, 4,426 jobs) and Britain (22 projects, 611 jobs) are in the top three.
Switzerland is the sixth-largest investor in Europe, a ranking dominated by the US (942 projects and 58,144 jobs).
Despite this, total foreign investment in Europe fell last year by 5% to 5,388 projects.
In drawing up its study, EY only takes into account investments that create jobs, and therefore excludes mergers and acquisitions and portfolio investments.
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Translated from French by DeepL/mga
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