Switzerland : Anti-Muslim racism doubles unemployment risk

Ya Biladi

28-02-2025

In Switzerland, discrimination against people of Muslim faith has rarely been the subject of in-depth, multidisciplinary analysis. However, recent research is shedding light on this issue, parts of which remain largely overlooked. Unveiled on Thursday, February 27th, the study Anti-Muslim Racism in Switzerland aims to serve as a key reference in the field, highlighting the many dimensions of these inequalities.
The 80-page report, produced by the the Swiss Center for Islam and Society at the University of Fribourg, focuses on key areas such as access to employment and education. The findings reveal how discrimination often overlaps and compounds, particularly when gender or perceived ethnic background comes into play.
Workplace Discrimination: The Most Affected Sector
According to data from Switzerland's Service for Combating Racism (SLR), 69% of those who reported racial discrimination in 2022 said it occurred in their professional life or during a job search. Public spaces (30%) and schools (27%) were the next most common settings for discrimination.
Respondents highlighted several forms of workplace inequality, including unfair hiring practices, workplace harassment, and unjustified pay disparities. The study notes that field data remains limited, with only a few sectors having been thoroughly examined so far.
Overall, labor market studies indicate a high rate of discrimination against Muslim job seekers. Testing with fictitious applications shows that candidates with Turkish or Kosovar names—often assumed to be Muslim—face significant bias, regardless of whether they openly identify with the faith.
Swiss Hiring Practices: Bias Across Language Regions
The study highlights widespread discrimination against Swiss job seekers with migration backgrounds in both French- and German-speaking regions. One referenced study found that candidates with non-Swiss names were treated equally in the initial hiring stage but faced bias in later phases, including response time and tone of communication.
The study also notes that Muslims in Switzerland face an unemployment rate 2.4 times higher than average due to religious bias. While language barriers and education gaps play a role, neither increased religious practice nor generational status significantly impacts this trend. Even obtaining Swiss citizenship does not change the likelihood of discrimination.
Contrary to expectations, higher education does not reduce this disadvantage. While discrimination slightly decreases for those with vocational diplomas, it increases for university graduates. Researchers suggest that employers often reserve top-tier positions for people from similar backgrounds, further excluding Muslim professionals.
Muslim Women Face Unique Challenges
The study finds that anti-Muslim discrimination is strongly gendered, shaped by public and media debates. Muslim women experience different forms of bias than men, especially if they wear the hijab. While men's religious head coverings (such as turbans or prayer caps) are not widely debated, the hijab is seen as a visible and controversial religious symbol.
Women who wear the hijab are far more likely to face discrimination, often being perceived as foreign regardless of their nationality, education, or socioeconomic status. A German study cited in the report found that veiled women with Turkish names had to submit 4.5 times more job applications than their non-veiled, German-named counterparts to receive the same level of interest from employers.
Similarly, in Switzerland, veiled women struggle to secure apprenticeships even with excellent grades. This difficulty limits their access to the labor market, particularly in small and medium-sized businesses, which have greater autonomy in hiring. Larger companies, by contrast, often have diversity policies that mitigate some of these biases.
A European-Wide Trend
These findings align with similar studies across Europe, including in France, Spain, Belgium, and Germany. While Switzerland is not an EU member, its inclusion in the Schengen area places it within the broader European context of rising discrimination against Muslims.
In October, the EU's Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) reported a sharp increase in racist discrimination against Muslims in 13 EU countries. Nearly one in two Muslims surveyed had experienced discrimination in the past five years.
According to the FRA, job-related discrimination is particularly common, with 39% of Muslim respondents reporting bias in hiring and 35% experiencing workplace discrimination. Additionally, two out of five Muslim workers in the EU are overqualified for their jobs—almost double the rate of the general population. Women, especially those aged 25 to 44, face even greater obstacles in securing employment.
The study also highlights that Muslims of sub-Saharan African descent and EU-born Muslim youth are more vulnerable to racist discrimination, particularly in the job and housing markets. Women who wear religious clothing are especially targeted, reinforcing the broader challenges faced by visibly Muslim individuals in Europe.