Almost a third of applicants for civilian service do RS first
Published: Thursday, Feb 22nd 2024, 14:10
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The number of admissions to civilian service rose by 1.8% to 6,754 people in 2023. Almost a third of applicants had previously completed recruit school (RS).
As in previous years, admissions to civilian service remained high in 2023. This is the third-highest number of annual admissions since the introduction of the evidence-based solution in 2009, according to the first annual figures published by the Federal Office for Civilian Service (ZIVI) on Thursday. 3769 people submitted their application before the RS, 786 people after the start of the RS and 2199 people, or almost a third, after completing the RS.
A record high was also reached in 2023 with 1.8 million days of service (+6.2 percent). As in recent years, the civilian service performed the most days of service in the social, healthcare and education sectors.
A special feature was that in the first four months of the year, 14,000 days of service were provided as extraordinary support for the Federal Asylum Centers of the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM).
The number of operating companies remained practically constant at 4492, while the number of inspections rose by 7 percent. There were hardly any serious violations of the enforcement rules.
At the end of December 2023, 58,195 people were required to perform civilian service. Of these, 26,510 persons obliged to perform civilian service had not yet completed all the prescribed regular days of service. 31,685 persons obliged to perform alternative civilian service had completed all the prescribed ordinary days of service. However, they remain liable for civilian service until their ordinary release. They can only be deployed for extraordinary civilian service ordered by the Federal Council in special and extraordinary situations.
VMG criticizes approval practice
The Swiss Association of Military Societies (VMG) has expressed alarm at the increased number of registrations for civilian service. "This enormously high number (is) primarily based on the de facto freedom of choice between the army and civilian service that has been politically accepted for years," said the VMG in a press release. As a result, the critical stocks in the army have become even more acute.
In view of the uncertain expansion of the war in Ukraine, this cannot be justified. "The existing system is grossly negligent and urgently needs to be reformed, if necessary with the reintroduction of conscience testing," the VMG stated.
The ZIVI also provided figures on compulsory military service on Thursday: The number of conscripts finally assessed at the army recruitment centers in 2023 was 35,700. This is 4.2 percent more than in the previous year. Of these, 25,199 were fit for military service.
However, the ZIVI writes that it is not possible to directly compare the number of those admitted to civilian service and those liable for military service. While the number of admissions to civilian service measures all newly admitted persons liable for civilian service in a calendar year regardless of when they were recruited, the number of persons liable for military service and those fit for military service measures a recruitment year.
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