The good infrastructure and the availability of its highly qualified workforce make the business location of Switzerland an attractive destination for foreign investment. This was shown by the latest FDI Confidence Index from the consulting firm A.T. Kearney. "The Swiss franc shock has obviously not become a deterrent to foreign direct investment. To the contrary!", according to Andreas Liedtke, Partner and Managing Director of A.T. Kearney Switzerland. He maintains that Switzerland is more attractive than ever before for foreign companies who want to boost their profitability and growth within a stable framework. "Investors are prepared to pay a price for the good structural preconditions which Switzerland has to offer."
The FDI Confidence Index 2016 shows a significant increase in willingness to invest from abroad. After the setback of the financial crisis of 2007, the foreign direct investments in 2015 recorded a growth of 36 percent and with an estimated 1.7 trillion Swiss francs reached a pre-crisis level once again.
In the FDI Confidence Index, the USA and China are out in front for the fourth time in a row. Canada was able to improve from fourth to third place, while the UK slipped back from third to fifth place. The companies questioned see the greatest opportunities for growth within the Eurozone, which covers 13 of the top 25 countries. Germany took fourth place.
The consulting firm A.T. Kearney's FDI Confidence Index each year identifies the 25 most attractive destinations for foreign direct investment based on a survey of management from the 1000 largest companies worldwide. Political and economic stability as well as transparency in the regulatory environment were given as the most important investment incentives, directly behind market size and workforce.
