The canton of Valais is once again the one which has done best in terms of moving company head offices between cantons. In 2023, as in 2021 and 2022, it is the one which recorded the highest net immigration, according to figures published Monday by the analysis company CRIF. “Valais has especially attracted companies from the cantons of Vaud, Geneva and Zug,” she notes. In total, 113 companies transferred their headquarters from Vaud to Valais. Ticino and Saint-Gall complete the podium. At the other end of the ranking, the worst result is that of the canton of Vaud, which “lost” 73 companies.
The cantons engage in strong competition to attract companies. Valais, in this regard, has made efforts in recent years which seem to have borne fruit. For a long time, it was at the bottom of the rankings of economic attractiveness for businesses. In fact, Credit Suisse’s annual study still ranks it poorly. In 2023, Valais was still 25th out of 26, just ahead of Jura. The ranking takes into account not only profit taxes, but also the availability of labor and the accessibility of sites.
Valais may be low in the overall ranking, but it stands out because it has targeted its search for attractiveness towards SMEs rather than towards large international groups, particularly through taxation. “For companies making a profit of 200,000 francs, Valais is, for example, much more attractive than for those with a higher profit,” notes Credit Suisse. And in addition to moving, Valais is now also attracting new companies. “The business creation figures for the first quarter of 2024 are encouraging,” noted Valais Promotion in April. The number of new businesses jumped 15.7% compared to the same quarter of 2023.
If the canton of Vaud is the one which has seen the most companies leave, it does not have to worry more than that. In 2023, 5.97 new businesses were created in the canton per 100,000 inhabitants, which is slightly higher than the national average (5.8). Valais does even better (6.53) and Zug is at the top (21.44). Last week, the Vaud Council of State took stock of its economic promotion and was particularly pleased with the fact that the establishment of foreign companies remained stable with 28 companies.
