Reasons for Switzerland’s shocking drop in the expat popularity stakes

If Switzerland was always in your sights as the perfect expat professional destination, perhaps it’s now time to think again.

For years, the tiny Alpine state has been a magnet for expats in the financial sector for its luxury lifestyle, elite expat community and buzzing social life, but the gilt now seems to be missing from the gingerbread in this unique hideaway. Over the past five years, Switzerland's popularity has fallen, with the latest expatriate survey placing it 38th out of 64 world countries. Just five years ago, the country was ranked as the fourth most desirable destination for expats, but a report on Time magazine’s website now describes it as almost an outcast.

It seems a decline in the value of expat allowances may have been part of the reason for the devastating drop in popularity when set against the country’s notoriously expensive lifestyle. The issue has led to criticisms over employers’ promises to maintain expat relocators’ quality of life, a tough call for companies working with decreasing budgets. Reductions in allowances hit expats relocating with their families especially hard as childcare costs are extortionate when compared with other similarly upscale destinations, and international standard schooling is also priced out of many expat pockets.

Other issues causing expat distress include the formerly excellent career prospects associated with the move, also on the decline according to those who took part in the survey. Again, the 2014 version of the study ranked this category at 14th place but it fell to 38th place in this year’s results. Work/life balance was another sector taking a heavy hit over the past several years, dropping from 21st place to 2019’s 45th. Given that high salaries and allowances, career boosts and an enviable work/life balance are three of the main reasons expats consider when seeking a change of environment, it’s no surprise Switzerland is now being seen as just another stopover on the route to a highly successful career.