Work culture in Bern
Nestled on the River Aare, the Swiss capital may be the political center of the country but it is notably less fast-paced than other canton capitals like Zurich and Geneva. Its medieval streets have given Bern a UNESCO World Heritage Site status, but it is the city's high quality of living that makes many expats choosing to relocate to Bern.
Economy & labour market
Bern is the capital of the canton of Bern, the second most populous of Switzerland's cantons. It should be noted that, despite the dense population, the canton has one the lowest unemployment rates in Switzerland, averaging under 2.5% in the past few years. The city of Bern itself has a population of 142,656 as of June 2018, making it the fourth most populated city in the country.
Bern may be world-famous for its vineyards, Emmental cheese and Toblerone chocolate (which was first created here), but there is much more to the Swiss capital than its culinary delicacies. The city has a developed and dynamic economy which is based on many sectors, the most important among them being high technology, information and communication technology, food, the precision industry, including watch and machinery manufacturing, medical technology, agriculture and viticulture. As such, the city is very conducive to investment and business development and full of promise as a business location. Bernese authorities offer a breadth of consultancy services and greatly facilitate the creation of small, medium and large enterprises in the region, whereas many big European firms such as Fenaco, Swiss Post, Galenica Group, Swatch Group, Rolex, and Omega have chosen Bern for their headquarters.
The city has also gained itself a reputation as a place of research and science, being home to many institutions of education and offering various opportunities to young professionals looking forward to a brighter career in the country.
Good to know:
With such a prominent historical centre and a variety of attractions, tourism is also a very important business sector for Bern ' and one that is particularly friendly to expats.
Job hunting
In Bern, both the public and private sectors are very open to expats. Bern's main recruiter fields are industry, information and communication technology, tourism, education, science and research. Jobs are also available in the field of environmental technologies which has experienced significant growth over the last few years.
Good to know:
Bern is in Switzerland's German-speaking region, so a good knowledge of German is not only advantageous but, in some cases, necessary. Although there are many multinational companies and banks who will simply require a perfect command of English, many of the local job-hunting tools and official websites are in German ' so it will help with your search to understand the language. Note that the German spoken in Bern is a particular Alemannic-Swiss-German dialect called Bernese German.
Job postings are available online and in classified ads in local newspapers like 20 Minuten. You can also register with a recruitment agency like Manpower.
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