The number of primary and lower secondary teachers is therefore expected to increase by about 6 percent in 2031. By then, between 43,000 and 47,000 new primary school teachers should be recruited. At secondary level I there are 26,000 to 29,000 teachers.
The extra need for teachers arises because the number of students is increasing. According to a forecast by the Federal Statistical Office, the number of students in primary education will increase by 8 percent, while at secondary level I it will be 9 percent.
The growth should affect all regions of Switzerland. The only exception is Ticino. There, a decrease in the number of teachers is expected in secondary I.
There is a gap in primary education as only 34,000 teacher diplomas are expected to be awarded between 2022 and 2031. The discrepancy can partly be absorbed by people who have been educated at a different school level, by foreign teachers and students of teacher training courses.
The figures from the Federal Bureau of Statistics also show that the majority of teachers remain loyal to compulsory schools. For example, nine out of ten teachers who were under 55 in 2015 and at a compulsory school were still working there five years later.
(SDA)