Swiss voters taking part in a referendum on June 14 are forecast to reject a referendum proposal to cap the country’s population at 10 million people.
The referendum follows an initiative by the Swiss People’s Party reflecting concern about the growth in Switzerland’s population, which climbed to 9.1 million last year from 7.3 million in 2002. Polling on the proposal to stipulate the permanent resident population must not exceed 10 million before 2050, and that Switzerland should end its freedom of movement accord with the European Union, was evenly split in April, but the latest voter sentiment suggests that 53% of the population reject the initiative.
Business groups have also mobilized against the proposal with pharmaceutical giant Roche warning that any talent squeeze would undermine its CHF 3 billion R&D expansion in Zürich-Schlieren, and UBS warning that it may relocate back-office roles to Luxembourg if recruiting foreign IT specialists becomes more challenging.
IAM Member Impact: Currently, the forecast of a “no” vote looks encouraging for the moving and relocation industry and talent mobility, but the race remains close.