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The International Health Labor Migration to Switzerland: Key Challenges for Its Governance

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  • Ibrahima Amadou Dia

    (University of Geneva)

Abstract

The objective of this article is to analyze the governance of migration of health professionals in Switzerland. Owing to a lack of health workers, the growing needs of healthcare, and the limited number of recent graduates, the Swiss health institutions are dependent upon international healthcare professionals. After an analysis of the need for healthcare professionals, this article examines the laws regulating the migration flows, before considering the challenges related to the governance of international migration and recruitment of health professionals in Switzerland. This article confirms Switzerland’s longstanding health workforce shortage, its chronic dependence upon the health professionals from EU neighboring countries, and its difficulty to achieve self-sufficiency against the backdrop of increasing health and demographic challenges, a need to maintain its welfare state, and to strengthen its international competitiveness by attracting talents, and the threat caused by rising restrictionist and anti-migrant political rhetoric, thereby resulting in difficult compromises regarding its migration policy outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Ibrahima Amadou Dia, 2019. "The International Health Labor Migration to Switzerland: Key Challenges for Its Governance," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 437-458, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:joimai:v:20:y:2019:i:2:d:10.1007_s12134-018-0609-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s12134-018-0609-6
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. John Connell, 2010. "Migration and the Globalisation of Health Care," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 13013.
    2. Jonathan Chaloff & Georges Lemaître, 2009. "Managing Highly-Skilled Labour Migration: A Comparative Analysis of Migration Policies and Challenges in OECD Countries," OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers 79, OECD Publishing.
    3. Jean-Christophe Dumont & Pascal Zurn & Jody Church & Christine LeThi, 2008. "International Mobility of Health Professionals and Health Workforce Management in Canada: Myths and Realities," OECD Health Working Papers 40, OECD Publishing.
    4. Kangasniemi, Mari & Winters, L. Alan & Commander, Simon, 2007. "Is the medical brain drain beneficial? Evidence from overseas doctors in the UK," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(5), pages 915-923, September.
    5. Gross, Dominique M., 2006. "Immigration policy and foreign population in Switzerland," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3853, The World Bank.
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