One in four of the wage earners in Switzerland is foreign. The Swiss economy could not function without foreign workers. Mainly manual workers and helpers are needed, for example in the building trade and the hotel business. Foreign specialists are also needed: technicians, engineers, scientists and computer scientists.

In 2002 a new law came into force allowing the free movement of workers between Switzerland and the old members of the European Union and European Free Trade Area. An initial report on the consequences of this law, issued in 2005, showed that - contrary to some initial fears - it had had little impact on either employment figures or on wages.