Interview: The LABOR SwissLux Research Group

The 12th UniGR-CBS Greater Region Forum is once again being organised this year in collaboration with the research group "LABOR SwissLux – Labour Across Borders". The group brings together researchers from Luxembourg and Switzerland and analyses the dynamics of the approximately 640,000 cross-border workers employed in these two countries.

On this occasion, the UniGR-CBS spoke with Isabelle Pigeron-Piroth, spokesperson for the LABOR SwissLux research group and member of the UniGR-CBS, about the origins of the group, its research and current perspectives on the employment of cross-border workers.

Tell us about the origins of the LABOR SwissLux research group and your personal reasons for becoming involved in the group.

In October 2017, we organised a conference entitled 'Cross-border workers in Switzerland and Luxembourg' at the University of Luxembourg, together with several colleagues from the UniGR-CBS. For this event, we invited researchers from various Swiss universities to present their research on cross-border workers. The conference was structured around three central themes: the world of work; the everyday realities faced by cross-border workers; and societal perceptions of these workers. Our aim was to identify similarities and differences between the respective regions. Following the conference, we established the LABOR SwissLux group with researchers from Switzerland and Luxembourg who were interested in continuing the dialogue.

Cross-border workers has been a particular focus of my research from the outset. Given the large number of cross-border workers commuting to and from these two countries, it was an obvious choice to compare them.

LABOR SwissLux brings together researchers from different disciplines, regional contexts and linguistic areas. How is this diversity reflected in your work, and what specific challenges does it involve?

The members of the LABOR SwissLux research group come from various universities and disciplines, particularly geography, economics, sociology, cultural studies and political science. These disciplines complement each other very well, as cross-border workers is a multidimensional field of investigation.

Multilingualism in Switzerland and Luxembourg greatly facilitates linguistic exchange. Our working language is French, with which our Swiss colleagues, including those from the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, are very familiar. At international conferences, particularly major ones, we also present our work in English.

The main challenge within the group is a lack of time, which severely restricts what we can achieve. We would like to devote more time to advancing the comparative analysis of the respective border regions. The group emerged from our own research interests and does not have a dedicated budget, which sometimes complicates matters.

Which results since the creation of LABOR SwissLux do you consider particularly important?

The conference that led to the creation of the group was a great success. It resulted in a publication in the UniGR-CBS series “Borders in Perspective”. Until then, the comparative Swiss-Luxembourg perspective on the cross-border labour market had not yet been addressed academically. Since then, we have published several books and articles, many of which are presented on the group’s website. In addition, in 2022, we co-organised the most recent major conference on cross-border workers in Europe. It took place in Luxembourg, and the results were published in a bilingual French-English edited volume.

One of our most important results is the growing interest in cross-border workers, particularly in the comparison between Luxembourg and Switzerland. As we are often contacted on this topic, we are convinced that there is genuine interest in addressing questions relating to cross-border workers together and in different contexts, while also learning from one another.

What research priorities or priority projects are planned for the coming years? And how do you assess the further development of the LABOR SwissLux group?

Our group attracts new members every year. Each year, one of our partner universities organises a conference on a topic of particular interest to them that is related to cross-border workers. These conferences attract many participants and enrich our joint reflections on the cross-border labour market.

Most recently, we focused on cross-border citizenship. This encouraged us to consider developing and submitting a joint research project. Such a project would enable us to examine the belonging and participation of cross-border workers in our border regions in greater depth. It would also secure dedicated funding for the group and boost our visibility and future prospects
 

The UniGR-CBS thanks Isabelle Pigeron-Piroth for the exchange.
 

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