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Canton Zug sets up job fairs to get expats back to work
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Canton Zug sets up job fairs to get expats back to work

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© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
May 17, 2022
Jan de Boer

Editor at IamExpat Media

Jan studied History at the University of York and Broadcast Journalism at the University of Sheffield. Though born in York, Jan has lived most of his life in Zurich and has worked as a journalist, writer and editor since 2016. While he has plunged head-first back into life in Switzerland since returning to the country in 2020, he still enjoys a taste of home at pub quizzes and karaoke nights.Read more

Of the 1.300 people in Zug currently looking for a job, 23 percent of them are expats - one of the highest rates of expat unemployment in Switzerland. To remedy to issue, the Swiss canton is offering more events and opportunities to help internationals get back to work.

Overspecialisation leaves expats unemployed in Switzerland

According to SRF, the reason why expat unemployment is so high in Zug is that the city is home to a number of international companies that specialise in specific areas. As Zug has some of the lowest business taxes in the world, many companies and entrepreneurs are attracted to the area and set up businesses that require workers with a specific skill set.

As only a small percentage of Swiss citizens attend university, many look to import specialist expats from abroad to fulfil certain functions. The issue arises when these companies go out of business or cut jobs, leaving highly specialised expats out of work and unable to transfer to a similar job.

Zug expands English speaking careers services

To combat the significant number of expats out of work, the canton has expanded its English-speaking careers services in recent years. This can be seen in new job fairs taking place in 2022, where people can meet companies, attend English speaking lectures, receive tips for their CV and benefit from other career advice.

According to the head of the Association for Labour Market Measures (VAM) in Zug, Gianni Bomio, expats' main weakness when trying to find jobs in Switzerland is a lack of networking, which he hopes to remedy through the fairs. Unemployed commodity trader Evgeni Marzins agreed that "the fairs are often the only way to find out about vacancies."

“Zug is a very attractive job market, and if we help unemployed expats, many can gain a professional foothold here again,” Bomio said. While some specialised expats are more likely to find work abroad, in the words of Marzins, “I like it here, I want to stay. If the job search doesn't work out, I'll try my own company. Only then will I go."

By Jan de Boer