It is in Switzerland and in Luxembourg that most of Europe's cross-border workers work. Altogether they employ over half a million people from regions in the neighbouring countries and have relied on cross-border workers for decades.
However, the problems and strategies connected with them are not directly comparable or even transposable. Areas such as job market policy, the social insurance system and freedom of movement are subject to the respective national legislation as well as European treaties. Issues around social cohesion must also be considered differently: cross-border workers only represent 6% of the workforce in Switzerland, whereas in Luxembourg they account for almost half (44%).
Despite characteristics and general conditions that differ, the comparison of the cross-border job market with commuter working is worthy of discussion.
The interdisciplinary conference on "Cross-border workers in Switzerland and Luxembourg: Employment – Everyday Life – Perceptions" addressed this issue on 24.10.2017 and examined the cross-border worker situation in Switzerland and Luxembourg from a variety of perspectives. Contrasts were drawn, highlighting the respective common features and differences as well as the opportunities and challenges. The conference focused on three main themes, relating to the socio-economic and socio-cultural aspects of cross-border working:
The role of cross-border workers in the labour market: Here the cross-border worker situation in Switzerland and in Luxembourg was presented based on the official statistics, taking account of the respective specific features of the (cross-border) employment market.
The everyday experience of the cross-border worker: Here, based on case studies, the lives and work of cross-border workers in Switzerland and Luxembourg was looked at in greater detail.
The perception of cross-border workers: Here the perception of cross-border workers in Switzerland and Luxembourg was the subject of a critical discussion. For this case studies were presented and the results of interviews with local inhabitants taken into consideration.
The conference was attended by some 15 academics from Switzerland and Luxembourg:
Claudio Bolzman (Geneva School of Social Work)
Rachid Belkacem (University of Lorraine, UniGR-CBS)
Corinne Cahen (Minister for the Family, Integration and the Greater Region)
Franz Clément (Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research)
Cédric Duchêne-Lacroix (University of Basel)
Philippe Gerber (Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research)
Olivier Klein (Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research)
Nadja Lützel (University of Basel)
Oscar Mazzoleni (University of Lausanne)
Isabelle Pigeron-Piroth (University of Luxembourg, UniGR-CBS)
Andrea Pilotti (University of Lausanne)
Nasser Tafferant (Geneva School of Social Work)
Paola Solcà (University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland)
Sylvain Weber (University of Neuchâtel)
Christian Wille (University of Luxembourg, UniGR-CBS)
The conference papers were published in the UniGR-CBS thematic issues:
Isabelle Pigeron-Piroth and Christian Wille (Hg.) (2019): Les travailleurs frontaliers au Luxembourg et en Suisse: Emploi, Quotidien et Perceptions. UniGR-CBS Borders in Perspective thematic issue 2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25353/ubtr-xxxx-2824-db4c
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