Migrants from Portugal send money home most frequently
Published: Thursday, Nov 9th 2023, 10:10
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Switzerland is one of the countries from which migrants send the most money to their home countries worldwide. According to a new study, people from Portugal often send smaller amounts, while those from the UK send larger sums, but less frequently.
For the study published in the "Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies", researchers from the University of Zurich (UZH) conducted a written survey of around 3,000 people living in Switzerland from various European countries about their money transfers, as the UZH announced on Thursday.
The result: at least 21% of respondents send money to their home country at least once a year. As many as 46% of all respondents from Portugal stated that they send money home every year. People from Germany (15 percent) and Italy (13 percent) were below the average.
According to the researchers, this is due to the higher number of second-generation migrants among the respondents. In general, the second generation of migrants are less likely to send remittances back to their parents' home country due to the lower number and strength of their social relationships, according to the researchers.
Not a sign of failed integration
According to the study, the average amounts per year also vary greatly depending on nationality. People from the UK transfer around CHF 4,000 each, followed by Portugal with CHF 2,200 and Germany with CHF 1,100. Contributions are lowest for Bosnia-Herzegovina (324 francs).
Immigrants from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Italy and Serbia use the money transfers particularly frequently to support family and friends, while Portuguese migrants mainly transfer the money to their own accounts.
The payments are dependent on successful integration into the labor market and thus on the migrants' high income, as well as their ties to their home country. According to the study, identification with Switzerland and the home country, perceived discrimination and knowledge of Swiss national languages do not play a role. Money transfers to the home country are therefore not a sign of failed integration, the researchers emphasized in the UZH press release.
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