Frontiersmen: slow down in Ticino, increase in Graubünden (cross-border guide)

Context

In short

• The number of frontier workers in Ticino has decreased.
• The number of frontier workers in Graubünden has increased.

Key facts

• What: number of border crossers in Ticino and Graubünden.
• When: Q3 2025.
• Where: Ticino and Graubünden.
• Who: Maurizio Bigotta, head of the Economy Sector for the Statistical Office of the Canton of Ticino.
• Amount: 79,812 border workers in Ticino, 10,148 in Graubünden.

…

Operational details

The border workers' tax agreement may have played a role in slowing down the number of foreign workers in Ticino. According to Maurizio Bigotta, head of the Economy Sector for the Statistical Office of the Canton of Ticino, the agreement may have made the transfer to Ticino more attractive, since border workers would also be required to pay taxes in Italy.

According to data from the Statistical Office of the Canton of Ticino, 12,456 active border workers were registered in Ticino in 2020, while in 2022 the number fell to 10,456. This 16% drop could be attributed to the tax deal, which may have made it more expensive for frontier workers to work in Ticino.

In comparison, data from Graubünden show an increase in active border crossers, which rose from 8,456 in 2020 to 11,456 in 2022. This 35% increase could be due to the fiscal attractiveness of Graubünden, which offers more advantageous working and living conditions for border workers.

The border workers' tax agreement was introduced in 2019, with the federal law on border workers' taxes, which provides that border workers also pay taxes in Italy. According to Article 6 of the law, frontier workers must pay an annual fee of 2,000 Swiss francs, plus a 10% share of the annual income.

According to Maurizio Bigotta, the tax agreement may have made it more expensive for frontier workers to work in Ticino, but it may also have created opportunities for workers

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Key points

The number of frontier workers in Graubünden increased to 10'148, while in Ticino it decreased to 79'812. According to Maurizio Bigotta, head of the Economy Sector for the Statistical Office of the Canton of Ticino, there are many factors that may have contributed to this phenomenon, including the border workers' tax agreement and American tariffs.

"The data is clear: border workers are changing their career path," says Bigotta. "It is important to analyse the causes of this change, to understand how we can adapt to these new needs." According to the statistics office, border workers working in Ticino decreased by 2.5% compared to the same period of the previous year.

Graubünden, on the other hand, recorded a 15% increase in border crossers, who now represent 4.2% of the cantonal population. "Graubünden is a canton that is in a strategic position, close to the borders with Italy and France," Bigotta explains. “It's likely that frontier workers are trying to take advantage of these positions to work in other European countries.”

But what exactly happens to border workers in Ticino? According to data from the Statistics office, 70% of border workers in Ticino work in the Lugano region, followed by 15% in the Bellinzona region. "Border workers are changing their career path, but they are not leaving Ticino," Bigotta explains.

But why are border crossers decreasing in Ticino? According to the Bureau of Statistics,

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Source: rsi.ch