Swiss Alpine farms complain of staff shortages

The alpine farming sector is complaining about staff shortages, particularly when it comes to experienced dairy farmers.

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In mid-March, the Bauernzeitung newspaper wrote of an “Alpine alarm” in a report on the staffing situation on Alpine pastures. At first glance, it does not look so alarming: around 100 jobs were advertised on the Zalp portal in March, with the number of applications being roughly equal.

Asked by the Keystone-SDA news agency, Zalp employee and cattle herder Giorgio Hösli does not talk of an emergency situation. But, he says, “we have had a shortage of experienced and well-trained staff for many years”.

In order to fill all positions in the summer period from May, there would have to be a third more job applications than availabilities. According to Hösli, many job seekers are only partially available, have the wrong ideas about the job, drop out of work or have the wrong profile. The ability to “grit one’s teeth” and persevere is not high on the list of competences for many applicants, who simply “want to go the Alps”, he says.

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Employees from abroad

This means specialists are all the more important. According to Hösli, the high turnover rate is a hindrance to developing such specialised skills. Alpine farming demands experience, he explains: you have to know the animals, quickly recognise diseases, take care of the pasture and make “really good cheese”. You don’t learn this from books and courses, he says. For him, it’s regrettable that too few people stay on for longer than three years.

The sector increasingly relies on employees from other countries, with an estimated third of the staff coming from abroad, explains Hösli. Italy and Germany are the main sources.

Applicants from South Tyrol are seemingly highly valued because many of them have experience and often stay for several years. Students from agricultural universities in Germany and Austria also have at least some specialised knowledge, Hösli explains.

In order to improve things, Hösli believes it is important to make the Alps a more attractive place to work. Among other things, there needs to be more work opportunities outside the summer season.

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Adapted from German by AI/dos