Returning to Ticino: salary is not the only decisive factor

Context

TL;DR

• Salaries weigh heavily, but they do not determine the return on their own.
• For a graduate-level job, salaries are 38% lower than in Zurich.
• More than half of those who leave return within five years.
• Between the ages of 25 and 35, around 300 people enter each year.

Key facts

• Event → morning at the Palazzo dei Congressi di Lugano
• Organizers → Economic Division of Canton Ticino and City of Lugano
• Wage differential → 38% lower than in the Zurich region
• Returns → more than half of those who leave return within five years
• 25-35 age group → around 300 people entering each year

At the Palazzo dei Congressi di Lugano, Monday's event organized by the Economic Division of Canton Ticino together with the City of Lugano examined the path of young people who leave the canton to pursue their education and often decide to return. The most unexpected result concerns pay: it influences the choice, but does not determine it on its own.

People used to speak of a brain drain. Today, in the language used during the meeting, they prefer to speak of talents on the move. People also return despite salary prospects that are lower than elsewhere in Switzerland. For a graduate-level job, the difference compared with the Zurich region is as much as 38% lower.

Salary is part of the choice

Barbara Antonioli Mantegazzini, head of SUPSI's Center of Competence in Social Research, explained that income remains important, but can become secondary when three elements come into play: work-life balance, the possibility of a more stable and permanent contract, and consistency between the skills acquired, the studies completed and the job found. These criteria are joined by the desire to move closer again to family or friends, as well as motivations related to the climate and cuisine.

The discussion also touched on Ticino's ability to bring back young people educated outside the canton. Lorenzo Barisone, who follows the statistical data of the City of Lugano, reported improvements in the return of young people in education. The destination is not limited to other cantons, however: the source indicates a majority heading abroad and to Italy, where Ticino's salary advantage remains competitive.

Stefano Rizzi, director of the Economic Division of Canton Ticino, indicated another figure: more than half of the young people who leave return after just five years. The stated goal is to further increase returns. In the 25-35 age group, taking immigration into account, the balance records an average inflow into Ticino of around 300 people per year. These are people who arrive, study and also find work. For Rizzi, the issue comes down to the ability to match supply and demand and to work on the area's attractive features. Companies, he emphasized, also have a responsibility. The topic can be explored further through the aziende che assumono.

Operational details

The comparison that matters to those who work in Ticino

For those who live near the border and work in Ticino, the message can also be read as a practical rule: it is not enough to place two salaries side by side. The source suggests a broader criterion: a lower salary than in Zurich can be evaluated together with the quality of the work and the possibility of establishing a longer-term presence.

Three levels to compare

The pay gap remains evident: for a graduate-level job, the salary in Ticino is 38% lower than in the Zurich region, but, although it is not decisive on its own, it is not irrelevant. Other factors in the choice may include work-life balance, the possibility of a stable contract, and the fit between the skills one has, one's educational path and the work performed.

This perspective also changes how a return is viewed. For those who are still in education, the inclination to move may emerge almost immediately after their studies. For those already in another canton, by contrast, an attraction policy must contend with different motivations. The distinction is not relevant only to policymakers: it also helps those considering an offer understand what question they are asking themselves: whether to stay, leave or return.

Another comparison concerns destinations. The other cantons are not the only destinations for young people from Ticino; the source indicates that a majority head abroad and to Italy. For this part of the movement, Ticino's salary advantage is described as remaining competitive. For the cross-border worker, this passage is an invitation not to confuse the comparison with Zurich with the comparison with Italy: these are different routes, and the source presents them separately.

For the cross-border worker, this perspective concerns the professional choice in Canton Ticino and should be kept separate from the matters of permit G, AVS, LPP, LAMal, tax rebates, withholding tax and double taxation. To explore the available offering, the starting point remains annunci di lavoro, to be read together with the duties and contractual stability indicated.

Useful planning tools

To estimate your pension strategy, use the pension planner and the pillar 3 simulator.

Useful planning tools

To estimate your pension strategy, use the pension planner and the pillar 3 simulator.

Key points

A practical procedure for assessing a return

The source does not provide a single formula, but it does make it possible to construct a decision sequence without focusing solely on salary. For a cross-border worker interested in a job in Ticino, the steps can be ordered as follows.

Four steps

1. Establish the trajectory. Ask yourself whether you are choosing your first position after completing your education or returning from another canton, abroad or Italy. The distinction is decisive because the propensity to move emerges almost immediately after the training period, whereas those who are already outside Ticino have different motivations.

2. Isolate the salary comparison. Use the available figure as a reference: for a graduate position, the indicated Ticino prospect is 38% lower than in the Zurich region. The figure serves to measure the gap, not to close the discussion. The choice remains open to the other elements mentioned during the morning.

3. Assess the content of the offer. Before deciding, focus on the balance between private and professional life, the possibility of a stable permanent contract, and the consistency between skills, studies and the work carried out. According to Barbara Antonioli Mantegazzini, these are the three points that can make the salary dimension secondary.

4. Broaden the horizon. Consider reconnecting with family and friends, the climate and the cuisine, then look at the five-year horizon: the data presented indicate that more than half of the young people who leave return within that period. It is a way of viewing the return as a trajectory, not as an isolated choice.

The sequence also helps distinguish what depends on the individual from what depends on the market. On the one hand there are skills, expectations and ties; on the other, Ticino’s and companies’ ability to match supply and demand. For those considering a change, the final check consists of comparing the salary with the actual work and the promised stability, without leaving either of the two terms out of consideration. To turn this comparison into a personal estimate, use calcolatore stipendio.

Source: rsi.ch