The "Pilot project international exchange in the chef profession" working group is developing proposals to combat the shortage of skilled labour - especially in Asian restaurants
The original idea behind the "International exchange pilot project for chefs" working group was to counteract the shortage of skilled labour, particularly in Asian restaurants. The members of the working group received numerous enquiries about vacancies. There are only around 50 vacancies in the greater Zurich area; extrapolated to the whole of Switzerland, it can be assumed that there are around 150 chefs specialising in Asian cuisine. Compared to the general shortage of skilled labour, this is a negligible number.
However, Asian cuisine is so different from Western cuisine that specially trained chefs are required. This means that a highly qualified Swiss chef is not necessarily a good cook of Chinese or Japanese cuisine or must first learn the trade. The granting of a visa for chefs from third countries is de facto impossible. However, enquiries to various migration authorities have been turned down. The "quota places" for applications from third countries are far too small and, according to the law, are aimed at skilled workers who "create sustainable added value for the Swiss economy". A chef does not fall into this category, and the cantonal authorities are quick to distance themselves or refer to the legislation. This means that a restaurant must first recruit chefs in Switzerland and, if not available, from the Schengen area. In practice, however, this is not possible as the chefs are simply not available. Many chefs have returned to their home countries, such as China, during the pandemic and no longer receive visas. The working group is aware of some isolated successes where chefs have been recruited from China, but at considerable cost. Given the current framework conditions, this will not alleviate the situation, as the legal framework simply offers no room for manoeuvre.
The result is that several restaurants have had to close in recent months because they simply don't have enough chefs. The working group has been looking into this problem and is in the process of developing proposals to counteract the shortage of skilled labour. Scenarios based on student visas or internships are currently being developed as an alternative. Catering chains, chef associations or individual chefs based in Switzerland could benefit by sending chefs to China or Singapore for further training. Conversely, Chinese/Asian chefs could learn the Western trade in Switzerland and then be placed for internships in restaurants. This would counteract the shortage of skilled labour, at least in the short term. The long-term goal, however, is to obtain a contingent of chefs from the respective countries who would receive a visa for one year with the possibility of an extension.
