Economics and Workforce Migration in Europe

The Republic of Kosovo obtained its national independence from Serbia in 2008, after two decades of a violent independence struggle, which included military intervention by the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). During this time, many Kosovars left the civil strife and moved to western European countries like Switzerland. Today, Switzerland is home to approximately 200.000 individuals who speak Kosovar Albanian in their households. This means that Kosovar Albanian is more widely spoken in Switzerland than Romansh, which is the least spoken of the country’s four official languages with some 39.000 speakers. Furthermore, about 109.000 Kosovars are part of Switzerland’s workforce. Thus, Kosovars represent the fifth largest group of foreign workers in Switzerland, after Italians, Germans, Portuguese, and French.

Economics and Workforce Migration in Europe

Switzerland, which has a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$517 billion (in terms of purchasing power parity, PPP), has a total workforce of approximately 5.2 million and its population has an average age of 42 years. Likewise, the country has a total population of 8.3 million citizens and a GDP per capita of US$61.400 (PPP). Switzerland has experienced positive economic growth in recent years and 77% of its workforce is employed by the services industry, which includes tourism, banking, insurance, and financial services.

Similarly, Switzerland is a very developed and industrialized country that has embraced new technologies, such as green energy sources. Back in 1973, Switzerland emitted CO2 at a rate of 7.3 metric tons per capita. Meanwhile, by 2014, the country had decreased this amount to 4.3 metric tons of CO2 emissions per capita, without sacrificing economic dynamism or growth. In recent years, the average per capita protein intake of animal origin amongst the Swiss has been some 59 grams daily out of a total per capita average protein intake of 154 grams daily. Simultaneously, land distribution in Switzerland has evolved throughout the last half century. In 1961, permanent pastures and meadows covered more than 1.3 million hectares, while arable land covered another 396.100 hectares and permanent crops accounted for 12.200 hectares. In 2015, permanent pastures and meadows in Switzerland accounted for 1.1 million hectares, while arable land represented 398.300 hectares and permanent crops covered another 25.500 hectares.

In terms of trade, Switzerland is the world’s 15th largest export economy and belongs to the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) alongside Norway, Liechtenstein, and Iceland. During 2016, the country imported US$268 billion worth of goods and exported US$302 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of US$35 billion. Furthermore, Switzerland’s main export, representing 27% or US$82.1 billion of the country’s total in 2016, was gold. Likewise, the country’s main import that same year, representing 31% or US$83 billion of all international purchases, was also gold. Meanwhile, Switzerland’s main trading partners are Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, Hong Kong, and Italy.

(Read more about Economics and Agricultural Output in Argentina)