Online registration process for short-term employment
The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) has again expanded EasyGov.swiss, the online service desk for companies. As of 3rd April, Swiss employers and foreign service providers can use the EasyGov platform to complete the registration process for short-term employment of workers from EU/EFTA countries. This integration is an important step in optimising the notification procedure as a central instrument of the accompanying measures.
The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), in cooperation with the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), has integrated the notification procedure for gainful employment of persons from the EU/EFTA for up to 90 days within a calendar year on Easygov.swiss. Swiss employers and cross-border service providers from the EU/EFTA can now submit their notifications via EasyGov, which replaces the previous SEM portal. The administrative process includes reporting employment in Switzerland and transmitting the information to the Central Migration Information System (ZEMIS), and so to the relevant cantonal authority, as well as the return of the official confirmation via EasyGov. The integration and the associated adjustments improve data quality and in particular the transmission of notifications.
Who is obliged to report and why?
The Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP) between Switzerland and the EU liberalises the cross-border provision of services by posted workers or self-employed service providers from the EU/EFTA for up to 90 effective working days per calendar year. The electronic registration procedure is also used for EU/EFTA nationals taking up employment with an employer in Switzerland for up to three months. In all cases, there is only a notification requirement. The notification procedure is used to collect data for compliance with the provisions of the AFMP and the downstream labour market controls within the framework of the AFMP.
Unfortunately, certain companies experienced technical problems after the launch, particularly with registration, which led to a large number of support queries. These problems have since been resolved. Furthermore, the staffing levels at the contracted call centre were increased significantly in order to process the accumulated tickets and ensure long-term support. Companies can also find numerous answers to the most common questions on the websitewww.faq.easygov.swiss.
Central instrument for implementing accompanying measures
On the basis of the reports received, checks are carried out to ensure compliance with the wage and labour conditions applicable in Switzerland. The further development of the online notification procedure is being driven forward in a joint project between SEM, SECO and the accompanying measure enforcement bodies. The first phase of optimising the notification process was completed with the integration of the online notification process into EasyGov. In this first phase, data quality and data transmission were improved, and businesses can be identified based on the allocation of the unique business identification number (UID). This makes it easier to counter misuse within the online notification procedure. In the second phase, further optimisations and the implementation of the outcome of negotiations between Switzerland and the EU in the area of wage protection will be addressed. In addition to adjustments to the enforcement organisation and other measures to optimise enforcement, this work plays a central role in enabling the accompanying measure inspections to be carried out with the same quality as before, even with a shortened pre-registration period. This was confirmed once again by a recently completed pilot project in the Basel area.
Further EasyGov expansion steps planned
EasyGov currently offers companies access to around 60 government services. Since the platform was launched in 2017, over 110,000 companies have registered, which corresponds to over one sixth of all companies in Switzerland. The integration of the reporting procedure will further expand the range of services. In the previous SEM portal, around 1,500 reports were submitted daily via the reporting procedure, which corresponds to around 550,000 reports per year. Further functional enhancements and improvements to user-friendliness are planned in the coming years to make EasyGov even more comprehensive and attractive.
Contact/Enquiries:
Fabian Maienfisch, Deputy Head of Communications and Media Spokesperson
State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO
Tel. +41 58 462 40 20, fabian.maienfisch@seco.admin.ch