The Swiss Federal Council and the UK government have agreed to let professionals move freely between the two countries for work purposes in the event of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit.
While Swiss workers could work in the UK with no restrictions, Brits moving to Switzerland would need to wait for federal approval.
The agreement can only be triggered if the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal, and will be in force until 31 December 2020.
But this does not mean it is going to be easier to hire UK/Swiss nationals. The agreement intends to “preserve recent historical patterns of labour mobility between Switzerland and the United Kingdom”.
Additionally, as part of the UK territories, Gibraltar is also included.
Pulling out
The bilateral agreement can be extended if both parties want to and, similarly, either the UK or Switzerland can withdraw from it at any point by giving written notification.
In the case the UK reaches a withdrawal agreement with the EU, however, the arrangement will not come into force at all.
Industry reaction
A spokesperson for Swiss insurer Zurich told International Adviser: “Zurich welcomes the announcement of an agreement between Switzerland and the UK, which guarantees continued mutual access to the UK and Swiss labour markets in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
“The UK remains an important market for Zurich and the agreement ensures that both British citizens in Switzerland as well as Swiss citizens in the UK, would not be negatively impacted in the event of a no-deal scenario.”
