Switzerland opened its labour market to Croatian workers on 1 January, which will further encourage the emigration of young people from Croatia, Vecernji List daily reported on Tuesday.

Citing an estimate by demographer Stjepan Sterc, the daily said that between 40,000 and 60,000 Croatians might emigrate to Switzerland over the next two years.

According to data from the Swiss statistical office for November 2020, 28,966 Croatian nationals live in that country, while Croatian Catholic missions, the Croatian Embassy and the Croatian expatriate community put the number at around 80,000.

Many of the Croatians who emigrated to Switzerland in the 1970s to 1990s have in the meantime acquired Swiss citizenship.

“Switzerland is becoming an ideal emigration destination because it is a highly ordered society where a lot of our people already live. My estimate is that, thanks to easier immigration rules, between 40,000 and 60,000 Croatian citizens will emigrate to that country in the next two years,” Sterc said.

“Two years ago I held lectures in Switzerland and saw for myself how satisfied our people are with life in that country. They are dreaming about Croatia being as orderly as Switzerland,” he added.

Sterc noted that Croatians find it easy to adapt to new environments, which makes them ideal immigrants, while retaining their Croatian identity. “Switzerland is not far and they can easily visit their families in Croatia. Today, young and educated people quickly adapt and learn the language of the host country,” he said, describing Switzerland as a promised land for Croatians.