Zurich’s cantonal parliament will have to consider the issue of immigration once again after an MP on Monday submitted a bill calling for the introduction of limits.
Unhappy with the federal government’s decision last December not to impose immigration quotas on EU workers at federal level, Gregor Rutz of the populist Swiss People’s Party (SVP) is proposing that Zurich bring in limits at cantonal level, reported news agencies on Monday.
The bill demands that immigration to the canton be limited and that native workers be prioritized for jobs over foreigners.
The canton administration itself is a particular target, since too many jobs there are filled by foreigners, Rutz told the media.
The MP achieved 60 backers from his party and the Federal Democratic Union (EDU), enough to get the bill submitted to parliament for discussion.
However it is unlikely to be passed into law since it is not favoured by other parties, news agencies reported.
According to official statistics, at the end of 2016 there were more than 390,000 foreign residents living in the canton of Zurich, 26 percent of the total population of nearly 1.5 million.
While Zurich has the most foreigners of any canton, Geneva has the highest number by percentage of the population, with a huge 40 percent of residents being non-Swiss.
Currently Switzerland places quotas on workers from outside the EU but not for EU immigrants, who benefit from free movement under a bilateral agreement between Switzerland and the bloc.
