Industry in Ticino: staff shortages and innovation
In the last 18 months, numerous layoffs in Ticino’s industry Fifteen collective redundancies recorded over the past year and a half Approximately 16 thousand
Context
TL;DR
- Numerous layoffs in Ticino’s industry over the last 18 months
- Fifteen collective layoffs recorded over the last year and a half
- Around 16 thousand cross-border workers work in industry
- More than half are over fifty
Key facts
- Period → last eighteen months
- Collective dismissals followed → fifteen in the last year and a half
- Order portfolio → satisfactory for the coming months
- Cross-border workers in industry → approximately 16 thousand
- Female and cross-border workers lost → around 900 in two years
- Age → more than half are over fifty
- Survey cited → 2022
- Interviewees → Stefano Modenini and Daniele Duma
In the last eighteen months, in Ticino, collective layoffs in the industrial sector have been numerous and have fueled concern for the future of the sector. The question posed by the source is therefore precise: does the problem arise from the economic situation or from the choices that guide companies in subsequent years?
Stefano Modenini, director of the Ticino Industries Association, believes that the current phase is less worrying than it appeared at the beginning of the year. The majority of companies consider their order book to be satisfactory for the months to come. Stability, however, does not equate to a guarantee of continuity. In the last year and a half Modenini has followed fifteen collective dismissals: half in the industrial world, the others in the tertiary sector.
From the economic situation to corporate choices
A collective dismissal, according to the director of AITI, does not necessarily derive from an economic crisis. A company can decide to diversify production or to favor other production locations. The attractiveness of the territory compared to other regions also plays a role in this choice: legal stability, taxation, costs and availability of manpower are conditions that can reduce the risk of a transfer.
The pressure does not only come from US tariffs, the automotive crisis, the strong franc or the cost of energy. The source also mentions the increase in transport costs due to wars and the interruption of some communication routes. Modenini notes, however, that the duties affected a very limited part of Swiss companies.
On the development front, the challenge indicated is innovation. Bringing innovation into companies involves allocating resources to tools, training and reviewing processes. The technical quality and ability to innovate of Swiss industry are recognized globally; for this reason, according to the source, Switzerland should invest more in professional training. The Innovation Law offers financing tools, while more targeted support is needed for small and medium-sized enterprises. Finally, research already benefits from collaboration with academic partners such as SUPSI.
The source combines the point of view of the employers with that of the workers: in addition to Modenini, Daniele Duma, head of the fusion department of the GF of Novazzano, was interviewed. The future of the Ticino industry is thus read through two perspectives, management and work.
Operational details
Why the issue concerns those who work across the border
For a cross-border worker, the most concrete part of the interview concerns the availability of qualified personnel. Modenini links the shortage not only to the demographic crisis, but also to the new tax agreement with neighboring Italy on the taxation of cross-border workers, identified as an aggravating factor, especially in Ticino. The source does not, however, describe the agreement’s individual effects on personal matters: the data presented concerns the labor market.
According to the statistics cited in the interview, in two years Canton Ticino lost around 900 female and male cross-border workers, partly for age-related reasons. In the industrial sector, there are around 16 thousand cross-border workers, and more than half are over fifty. For high-value-added companies, Modenini says, the availability of trained and qualified people is the main problem; without labor, some activities could disappear.
What changes in day-to-day work
The practical reading does not lead to a single answer. Automation is identified as one way to address the shortage, but the source pairs this measure with greater participation by women and young people in the labor market. The issue is organizational: many young people want part-time employment, while work-family balance is identified as a priority. Some company collective agreements already provide for Fridays off, a sign of the demands that are becoming increasingly important for workers.
| Pressure identified | Response mentioned in the source |
|---|---|
| Staff shortage | Automation and greater participation in work |
| Demand for work-family balance | Part-time work and, in some agreements, Fridays off |
| Lack of technical profiles | Vocational training and courses for companies |
For those who work across the border, the implication is concrete but limited: the future of a job also depends on skills, work-schedule organization and the company’s ability to adopt new technologies. However, no personal calculation or tax procedure can be derived from the interview. G permit, AVS, LPP, LAMal, tax rebates, withholding tax, INPS and double taxation remain outside the scope of the text. The only explicit cross-border link is the effect of the tax agreement on the availability of labor in Ticino.
Key points
How to read the situation and find one's bearings
Anyone wishing to assess an opportunity in Ticino's industry can use four steps drawn from the source. It is not a tax procedure or a salary calculation: it serves to assess the company, skills and development.
1. Clarify the company's direction
The first is to distinguish the short term from the development plan. A company may have satisfactory orders for the coming months and, at the same time, direct production toward another site or a different activity. Faced with a reorganization, the question is what strategic direction supports it, without taking for granted that collective redundancy coincides with an economic crisis.
2. Compare the profile with demand
The second starts from the 2022 survey cited by Modenini. The profiles most needed are intermediate-level ones with partly technical vocational training, from production operators to automation operators. The information offers a criterion for assessing a role or a training path: check the importance of technical skills. AITI offers courses to companies; the source also reports a shortage of apprentices in the more technological industry compared with the tertiary sector.
3. Look for the substance of innovation
The third is to distinguish words from processes. Innovation requires tools, training and process updates. The picture is heterogeneous: some companies have yet to take the first step toward digitalization, while others are incorporating artificial intelligence. It is therefore advisable to observe which investments and skills are associated with the role, without turning artificial intelligence into an automatic explanation for every change.
4. Separate funding and research
The last concerns support for development. The Innovation Law provides funding tools, but Modenini believes more targeted measures are necessary for small and medium-sized enterprises. Collaboration with academic partners such as SUPSI, on the other hand, is described as positive: these are two distinct areas, funding and research.
The text does not provide amounts, deadlines or documents for cross-border commuters. It offers a framework for assessing companies, roles and training in the Canton of Ticino. To look for opportunities consistent with the profiles described, consult annunci di lavoro
Source: ocst.ch
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the situation of redundancies in the Ticino industry?
- In the last eighteen months there have been numerous collective redundancies, with fifteen cases followed in the last year and a half, of which half in the industrial sector and the other half in the tertiary sector. According to Stefano Modenini, director of AITI, these decisions do not necessarily derive from an economic crisis, but may depend on company choices such as the diversification of production or the privilege of other production sites.
- What are the critical issues related to border labour?
- The industrial sector has about 16,000 border workers, more than half of whom are over fiftyyears old. In two years, the Canton of Ticino has lost about 900 female and male frontier workers, also for personal reasons. Modenini indicates that both the demographic crisis and the introduction of the tax agreement for the taxation of border workers with Italy are factors that aggravate the shortage of qualified personnel.
- How is the industry reacting to the staff shortage?
- Companies are focusing on automation and greater participation in the labour market by women and young people. New organisational demands are emerging, such as part-time employment and reconcilability between work and family; some company collective agreements already provide for Friday off. In addition, the importance of vocational training and the use of the Innovation Act to finance the updating of processes is underlined.