As UN jobs disappear, foreign graduates struggle to stay in Geneva

Geneva’s standing as a multilateral hub is being tested as budget cuts reduce employment prospects for international students pursuing careers in the humanitarian sector in the city. For students who come from around the world to study here, the door is quietly closing. Over the past year, the United Nations and international organisations with a special status in Geneva have lost about 3,500 jobs as they restructure and face funding cuts from major contributors. This represents a 13-15% reduction of their staff in the city, according to Yannick Roulin, executive director of the Geneva International Welcome Centre (CAGI). Just in November the International Labour Organization (ILO) said it was considering relocating its headquarters. The same month UNICEF said most of its workforce was moving to Rome. Those on the forefront of those cuts are non-EU graduates, who cannot stay in Switzerland without a work permit. For many of those students, UN institutions were the only job market ...