Top multilingual recruiter prepares for ënext big thingí in Switzerland

Euro London has added to its bases in Germany, France, the UK and Luxembourg, with a new office in Zurich. As Switzerlandís international workforce grows to over 21% - the highest in the world after Lichtenstein and Luxembourg ñ Euro London is targeting a growing Swiss need for international talent, fuelled by the expansion of multinationals throughout the country.

With three national languages, Switzerland has always been attractive to international business and multilingual employees. And with tax incentives for Finance, Insurance and IT businesses that have never been better, demand is fast outstripping supply. Bernadette Haslam is part of the team setting up Euro Londonís office in Zurich, she explains, ìThe skills shortage is most acute in IT implementation and support, sales and marketing, investment banking and pharmaceuticals. Zurich is becoming a centre of multilingual recruitment. The big companies are setting up headquarters here because they see it as a base for their entire European operation. This is driving the need for more candidates with international experience. Itís a case of quantity: local candidates are of a very high calibre but there simply arenít enough of them.î

The trend is being fueled by the incentives for major multinationals to move their headquarters to Switzerland. ìCorporate tax levels are as low as those in Estonia and Albania,î says Bernadette. ìBut the economy is more stable, there are world renowned public services,a high standard of living and the highest income tax is only 15%. But the key factor is the low rate of corporate tax, which is making Switzerland the European base of choice for companies like Google, Kraft and IBM. Google alone is set to increase its office from 300 staff to 1600 in the next year and others are set to expand here. Locally based companies like UBS and Credit Suisse are also expanding and they all need candidates with international experience.î