Living in Switzerland

Moving to a new country can be exciting but also a little daunting. If you are thinking of working and/or living in Switzerland, we hope that the following information will give you some insight into what it’s like to live in this “klein aber fein” - small but delightful - country.

Introduction to Switzerland

Located in the heart of Europe, Switzerland is the second oldest federal state in the world and is divided into 26 cantons. For historical and geographical reasons they differ widely in size and character. Their high degree of autonomy has always been respected and still remains strong. Berne is the capital city of the Swiss Confederation.  
Geneva

Population

The country has an estimated population of 8.2 million, the largest populations can be found in the larger cities such as Zurich, Basel, Geneva and Bern. Switzerland is unique due to its particularly high population of foreigners, which is currently 24% of the resident population. Most of these foreigners come from Europe, especially from the neighboring countries, such as Austria, France, Germany and Italy.

Economic Status & Quality of Life

Switzerland is known for its economic status, and it is currently one of the richest countries in the world in terms of GDP per capita. The main source of Switzerland’s income is from services (71%), and industry (27%) such as machinery manufacture, pharmaceutical production and watchmaking.

Due to its wealth, Switzerland is able to offer its population high standards of living, and has excellent infrastructure, such as reliable public transport, well looked after public spaces and services and excellent schools. Zurich and Geneva are regularly ranked as being amongst the best cities in the world in which to live.

Language

Even though Switzerland is a small country, its people speak no less than four different languages: German, French, Italian and Rhaeto-Romanic. Everything from the list of the ingredients on the package of groceries to official government documents has to be printed in three different languages (German, French and Italian).

The German-speaking Swiss speak a different form of German than the Germans or the Austrians, called “Swiss-German” or “Schweizerdeutsch”. Each canton has its own dialect and there is no written Swiss-German at all. Fortunately, the Germans, Austrians and Swiss-Germans all use the same written German language, which is close to the so-called “high German”, the standard for the German languages.

The French and Italian speaking Swiss also have a unique version of their language that differs from their neighbours, but the difference is mainly in vocabulary and is not as dramatic as in the case of Swiss-German.

The other official language is Rheto-Romanic, a very old language that is spoken within a limited region of Switzerland. Even though there are only a few villages where they still speak this language, there are five different dialects.

Social and Cultural Life

Switzerland is a small country compared to its neighbours, but despite its size it is vibrant with cultural and traditional events, a multitude of museums and theatres, a growing culinary scene of international and traditional eateries, and a variety of event venues in the cities. It also boasts a beautiful landscape with many natural attractions like its world-famous mountain ranges, lakes and hiking paths allowing for the participation in a wide range of outdoor sport activities.

The country has a diverse population and geography, resulting in multilingualism and the embracing of an array of cultural customs and traditions. The Swiss have a strong connection to their history and heritage which results in many festivities throughout the calendar year depending on the Canton. Furthermore, Switzerland has a well organised and highly reliable transportation network which makes for easy access throughout the country and beyond. It is safe to say that there is wealth of recreational and cultural opportunities to be found throughout this gem of a country in the heart of Europe!

My Switzerland

Looking for detailed information on living in Switzerland? Find it here:

Basel HQ

CTC Resourcing Solutions AG Münchensteinerstrasse 41, 4052 Basel, Switzerland

+ 41 61 695 88 66

+ 41 61 695 88 67

Frankfurt Office

CTC Resourcing Solutions GmbH Westhafenplatz 1, 60327 Frankfurt, Germany

+ 49 (0)69 256 22 95 99

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