New social assistance figures – Thanks to the good labor market situation: the number of social assistance recipients is falling – News

  • In Swiss cities, fewer people received social assistance in 2022 than in the previous year.
  • According to a survey by the city social policy initiative, the number of people supported fell by an average of 2.4 percent.
  • In ten of the 14 cities examined, the social assistance rate fell.

The city initiative said that the favorable situation on the labor market, among other things, contributed to the development. The number of new cases also fell – by 11.1 percent compared to the average of the previous three years.

Biel continues to lead the rankings

According to the information, the social assistance rate was still highest in Biel at 9.9 percent. This is despite the fact that it has been steadily decreasing since 2016, when it reached a high of 11.8 percent.

Lausanne follows in second place in the rankings with a social assistance rate of 6.8 percent, although a decline can also be observed there in a multi-year comparison. In 2012, the social assistance rate in the cantonal capital of Vaud was 10.3 percent.

For the report “Social assistance in Swiss cities – key figures for 2022 in comparison”, the social policy cities initiative of the Swiss Association of Cities and the Bern University of Applied Sciences analyzed data from 14 cities: Basel, Bern, Biel, Chur, Lausanne, Lucerne, St. Gallen, Schaffhausen, Schlieren, Uster, Wädenswil, Winterthur, Zug and Zurich.

According to the study authors, a quarter of those on social assistance in Switzerland live in the cities examined. The survey is based primarily on the social assistance statistics of the Federal Statistical Office (BFS).

Significant differences between cities


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Zug had the lowest social assistance rate last year at 1.5 percent. In Basel the rate was 5.3 percent, in Bern it was 4.9 percent and in Zurich it was 4.1 percent.

The study authors cite a number of structural factors as the reasons for the significant differences between the various cities: Cities with larger populations and in which a relatively large number of inexpensive apartments are available generally have a higher social assistance rate.

The proportion of single parents and refugees in the population also plays a role – and how many unemployed, disengaged people or people without training live in one place. In addition, the cantons provide varying levels of support to low-income households. Accordingly, the risk of being dependent on social assistance is not the same everywhere.

Refugees often work

The number of people receiving social assistance increased in four cities compared to the previous year: in Zug it rose by 6.2 percent, in Schaffhausen by 3.7 percent, in St. Gallen by 2.6 percent and in Lucerne by 2.5 percent.

The city initiative wrote that the number of supported refugees has increased in all cities. The higher the proportion of recognized refugees and those temporarily admitted among those receiving social assistance, the greater the impact on overall development.

With regard to the situation of refugees, the city initiative emphasized that refugees who receive social assistance are often employed. In 2022, 36 percent of them were so-called working poor, while only 23 percent of the remaining social welfare recipients were employed.

Integration measures centrally

The survey shows that language courses, access to vocational training and the recognition of qualifications are essential measures to enable refugees to live a dignified life, Lausanne’s social director Émilie Moeschler was quoted as saying in the communiqué. The SP politician is vice president of the cities initiative.

The city initiative emphasized that there were proportionately more refugees and temporarily admitted people living in all larger cities than the average for the respective canton. From the cities’ perspective, integration measures must take place quickly – and be tailored to the individual situation of those affected.

In this context, the Winterthur social director Nicolas Galladé/SP, president of the cities initiative, specifically called for the integration program for people from Ukraine with protection status S to be continued. He also criticized the unequal treatment of people who receive asylum social assistance.

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