A study by the University of Geneva estimates that those who speak German in addition to French in the Switzerland’s French-speaking region earn on average 10% to 20% more than those without German, reported SRF.
Across Switzerland’s French-speaking region, German is taught at school. Those remaining in school until 18 have typically studied the language for seven years. However, the resulting language level is often below what employers require, according François Grin, who has studied the value of multilingualism in the local job market.
Switzerland has four national languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. However, across much of the country, people are typically fluent in only one of these language. Many speak English better than a second Swiss language.
Because roughly 65% of Switzerland is German-speaking, those speaking a minority Swiss language are at the greatest disadvantage. Unsurprisingly, this plays out in the job market.
Healthcare and gastronomy are two sectors where speaking German is often critical. Many Swiss sales roles also frequently require German.
The Geneva office of the recruitment firm Adecco reported that finding people who speak both French and German is difficult. The firm said such people are so rare they are constantly trying to build a pool of them to meet employer demand. There is particularly strong demand from multinationals and companies operating across Switzerland, said Sébastien Katz, Adecco’s regional manager.
Job seekers and language schools are responding to this demand. Since 2017, the share of revenue from German lessons has increased from 15% to 30% at Swiss Language Group, a language school with teaching centres across French-speaking Switzerland.
More on this:
SRF article (in German)
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