Finances, real estate, service to companies, hotels, restaurants, construction, sales, big or small companies: numerous economic sectors hire in Switzerland. The situation on the Swiss work market attracts lots of French people who desire to become cross-border workers. Yet that is not the sole advantage that these persons who while living in France decide to work in Switzerland are seeking.
The peculiar status of the cross-border worker who works in Switzerland
The status of cross-border worker in Switzerland allows people who work in Switzerland while living in France or another country member of the EU (European Union) or of the EFTA (European Free Trade Association).
Bilateral agreements have been made between Switzerland and those countries so as to allow the free circulation of the people living at the borders for them to work more easily, without any legal impediment, These workers obtain a working permit once they have signed a work contract in Switzerland. People from other countries are bound to settle down in a definite border zone. These agreements also allow the Swiss to work in France and also to settle there freely.
Some health insurance for the cross-border workers working in Switzerland have been created and now, these workers have the choice between two regime for the health insurance: the “CMU” for cross-border workers, which is the French regime, and the LAMal for cross-border workers, which is the Swiss regime. The private regime for cross-border workers that was back then chosen by 90% of the French people working in Switzerland has been suppressed in 2014.
Is there any changes for cross-border workers in 2017?
Nonetheless, so as to limit the influx of foreign workers, the Swiss have decided to set quotas – a decision voted in 2014. It will be applied from 2017 onward, yet the specialised profiles being the ones that are the most sought after should not affect them.
The taxes for people working in Switzerland
Here is another point that interests most particularly the cross-border workers working in Switzerland. The rules regarding taxes are not the same in between each Swiss county, and diverge as well between a worker who comes back in France everyday and the ones who stay in Switzerland the whole week. IN some country like the one of Geneva, the cross-border workers have the taxes on their income directly taken on their wages, yet in some other counties, French people have to pay their taxes in France. However, those who come back in France only for the week-end and thus live in Switzerland the rest of the week pay their taxes in Switzerland, no matter in which county they have opted to settle down.
Wages, retirement pension and unemployment allowances for the cross-border workers
Note that the wages proposed to French workers can be inferior as well as superior to the ones offered to Swiss workers. It depends often of the qualifications necessary to get the offered positions.
Regarding the retirement pensions, it is mainly in Switzerland that most of the cross-border workers subscribe to, through the “AVS et prévoyances” professional care. The retired persons who have worked in both Switzerland and France will get a pension from both countries.
Finally, in case you end up being totally unemployed, the cross-border workers who work in Switzerland and live in France are covered by the French allowances. If it is a case of partial unemployment, the employer will do all the papers necessary at the Swiss administration. The resident workers are though getting allowances from Switzerland regardless of the situation in which they are (both partial and total unemployment). Do you wish to work in Switzerland while living in France? Find your future home close to the border with DE CORDIER IMMOBILIER. Specialist of the real estate market in Haute-Savoie and passionate about this beautiful region, our team will know how to guide you to find the home you dream of at the Swiss border.