Demand for university degrees continues to rise

The Education Report Switzerland 2018 provides data and information from statistics, research and administration on the entire education system, covering around 500 topics. The report is published every four years and is compiled by the Swiss Coordination Office for Research in Education (SKBF) in Aarau. The report is commissioned by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) and the Swiss Conference of Directors of Education (EDK).

Migration background and digitalisation: still a lot of work to do
Among the currently important challenges for the Swiss education system, the education report mentions migration issues and digitalisation. According to the statistics, one third of 15 to 17 year olds have a migration background. In order to examine the question of the integration of migrants in more detail, the education report says that it would be advisable to obtain better statistical data, which would also include language, cultural origin, socio-economic background and length of stay in the country. In many studies, only the migrant background is cited as a cause of educational disadvantage, and this is too simplistic.

There are still few research results or indicators on digitalisation in the education sector. Although digitisation and thus automation have clearly manifested themselves in the labour market over the last twenty years, according to the Education Report it is currently difficult to make forecasts regarding the extent and, above all, the speed with which these processes will have an impact in the future. Vocational education and training is also under great pressure in this respect, as it must impart skills that can be used in the labour market. In an international study, Switzerland, together with Austria, was ranked first in terms of the balance between the education system and the economy. The Swiss partnership thus seems to guarantee a particularly close and balanced interconnection between the players in the education system and the world of work.

Tertiarisation continues
The principle of "lifelong learning" seems to be taken to heart in Switzerland. And the pursuit of a university degree is also continuing. The education report notes that the process of tertiarisation will continue in Switzerland, albeit at a somewhat slower pace. According to SFSO forecasts, by 2045 around 60 % of the population will have completed tertiary education (university or higher vocational education). In 2015, this figure was around 40 %. This increase in the number of tertiary educated was actually demanded by the labour market, as the relative income of tertiary educated people (returns to education) has remained more or less constant over the years. The returns to education do not show any marked differences between higher vocational training and higher education.

Shortage of skilled workers slightly eased
Based on the 2010 and 2014 education reports, the EDK and SERI jointly set education policy goals for the Swiss education area in 2011 and 2015. The education report contains initial indications of whether and how these goals have been achieved. For example, the harmonisation of the structures and objectives of compulsory schooling has already made considerable progress in recent years.

As early as 2011, the Confederation and the cantons set the education policy target that 95 % of 25-year-olds should have an upper-secondary level qualification. The focus is on young people who have not completed the entire school system in Switzerland. On average, the recalculated rate is 91 % (2015 figures). At 94 %, young people with Swiss nationality almost reach the target quota of 95 %, while the quota for migrants is further away from the target at 86 % (born in Switzerland) and 73 % (born abroad).

In the STEM and healthcare sectors, the shortage of skilled workers in the relevant occupational fields could ease somewhat in the future. In STEM subjects, for example, the number of degrees awarded by universities has increased significantly since 2010, and forecasts indicate that this trend will continue in the coming years.