Switzerland Needs Global Talent. It Also Needs Alignment.

We depend on foreign doctors.

At the same time, we restrict how many people can study medicine here at home in Switzerland.

Let that sink in.

We Need Global Talent. But We Also Need Alignment.

I am Swiss.

I grew up inside this system. Most of what makes it work feels normal to us. Almost invisible.

Switzerland is small.

We deliberately limit access to certain professions. Medicine is the obvious example.

Numerus clausus.

Regulated university intake.

Controlled capacity.

We did that because we value quality and manageability. But here’s the consequence no one likes to spell out:

We cannot produce all the specialists we need ourselves. So we recruit internationally.

Doctors.

Engineers.

Researchers.

IT talent.

Skilled professionals across sectors.

We need them. And many of them genuinely want to build their lives here.

But here’s where it gets uncomfortable.

We bring them in to strengthen our economy. Then we quietly expect them to instantly understand a system that even many Swiss only understand because we grew up inside it.

Federalism.

Canton differences.

Municipal quirks.

Insurance logic.

Tax logic.

Administrative timing.

To us, it feels normal.

To them, it feels opaque.

And when confusion meets silence, something predictable happens: 

They retreat.

Into expat bubbles.

Into English-speaking circles.

Into parallel communities.

Then we complain about integration.

But often the bubble isn’t arrogance. It’s uncertainty. If you don’t understand the rules, you stick to what feels safe.

And from the Swiss perspective, that withdrawal feels like disinterest in the culture.

It’s a loop of misunderstanding.

We must treat onboarding into the country as seriously as onboarding into a company.

When someone joins a Swiss company, we onboard them. We explain processes.

We document expectations.

But when someone relocates their entire life here, we assume they will absorb everything by osmosis.

Clarity is not weakness.

Explaining how the system works doesn’t dilute our culture. It protects it. Because people respect what they understand.

We need global talent. They need access to a stable system. Alignment is what keeps both strong.

That’s not politics. That’s operational intelligence. And frankly, it’s long overdue.

If we expect world-class performance from global talent, we should offer world-class onboarding into our country.

Anything less is naive.

—

Jhon Gottlander

Co-Founder, switzerland in a box