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Report nowFollowing the rejection of the 10-million-Swiss initiative, the debate on immigration is by no means over. Economiesuisse Director Monika Rühl and restaurant entrepreneur Rudi Bindella are now bringing up a topic that is politically sensitive in Switzerland: a higher retirement age.
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Swiss voters have rejected the SVP’s “10 Million Initiative.” Yet the debate over immigration and the shortage of skilled workers continues unabated. The business community is now calling for measures that previously had little political support: People should work longer.
Economiesuisse Director Monika Rühl sees better utilization of the domestic labor force as a key lever. In an interview with the NZZ, she said: “We need to discuss raising the retirement age. If we worked longer, we could reduce the pressure on immigration.” At the same time, she criticized the Federal Council for sidestepping the issue. “In Switzerland, the topic is taboo,” said Rühl.
The business representative points out that other European countries have long been discussing longer working lives. In addition, companies should create models that enable people to work longer. Early retirement should also be reevaluated.
Restaurant entrepreneur Rudi Bindella is even more outspoken. The Zurich-based entrepreneur sees untapped potential, particularly among older workers. “If we properly nurture this potential and motivate these people to stay in the workforce, the demand for foreign workers would be significantly lower,” Bindella said in an interview with Tamedia. “We would then have to import far fewer workers.”
The 78-year-old goes even a step further. “If we were to gradually raise the retirement age to 70, as Denmark has done, the skills shortage would be largely alleviated,” he said. At the same time, he acknowledges that such a proposal would have little chance of success politically at present.
Bindella emphasizes, however, that working longer is not equally feasible for all professions. Those who perform physically demanding work, such as in construction or in a restaurant kitchen, face different conditions than employees in offices or the service sector. In those fields, a longer working life could certainly work—even on a part-time basis.
Both economic representatives are reacting to the results of Sunday’s vote. Although the initiative failed by a wide margin, around 45 percent of the population voted in favor of limiting population growth. For Rühl and Bindella, this is a signal that concerns regarding immigration, the housing market, and infrastructure must be taken seriously.
While the SVP is likely to shift its focus to the Bilateral Agreements III, the next political debate is already taking shape: the question of whether Switzerland will continue to address its shortage of skilled workers primarily through immigration in the future—or whether the population should work longer to do so.
