Eight graphs on free movement and the Swiss economy

Published on April 30, 2026

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Freedom of movement has spurred immigration from Europe into Switzerland. Swiss authorities, employers’ associations and trade unions argue that this helps meet the needs of the labour market, and that future demographic ageing will make it even more necessary. But the system also has its costs. Since 2002, nationals from European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries have been able to settle and work freely in Switzerland – and vice versa – provided they have a source of income. A quarter of a century of free movement Signed on June 21, 1999 by Switzerland and the European Union (EU), the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP) secures better residency and employment conditions in Switzerland for the citizens of EU and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries. The agreement came into force on June 1, 2002 and was extended in 2006, 2009 and 2017 to nationals of new EU member states. In addition to the free movement of persons, the ... Full story here Are you the author?

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SWI swissinfo.ch – the international service of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Since 1999, swissinfo.ch has fulfilled the federal government’s mandate to distribute information about Switzerland internationally, supplementing the online offerings of the radio and television stations of the SBC. Today, the international service is directed above all at an international audience interested in Switzerland, as well as at Swiss citizens living abroad.

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