Working and living in Biel/Bienne, a city that provides real quality of life!
Biel/Bienne is the ideal place to realise your professional ambitions and personal plans – in two languages. Everything you need in your day-to-day life and everything you need to get away from it all (work, education, culture, entertainment, leisure, health, nature, etc.) can be reached in just a few minutes from the city centre.
Are you moving to Biel/Bienne with young children? And do you need to organise care for them? You’ll find a variety of childcare (only available in DE/FR) options in Biel/Bienne: there are still places available in the six city-run daycare centres (for children under four), where qualified staff will encourage and support your children’s personal and social development. The child-focused and child-friendly environment creates a safe space in which your little ones will have many opportunities to play, mix with other kids and enjoy daily exercise in the fresh air. And the city authorities also place great importance on providing your children with a healthy, balanced diet (only available in DE/FR). If you need help paying for daycare at a creche or with a childminder, you can apply for childcare vouchers (only available in DE/FR).
You can choose between public and private daycare centres, playgroups, full-day at-school care or childminders. The brochure on offers for parents of preschool- and school-aged children [pdf, 819 KB] (only available in DE/FR) contains all the contact details you need to make life easy for you and your young ones in Biel/Bienne. And the city’s own holiday activity pass (only available in DE/FR) means your children will also be well looked after during the school holidays.
The city of Biel/Bienne is the hub of precision manufacturing in the Arc jurassien region. In addition to the flagship brands of the Swiss watchmaking industry, it is home to more than 2,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in high-value-added industries (medical technology, automotive, aeronautics, electronics, industry 4.0) and in the field of communication and services.
© Adrian Moser
As a dynamic location with excellent connections, Biel/Bienne provides you with many advantages, whether you are employed, self-employed or running a company. The range of job opportunities is extremely broad and varied. Large international companies, as well as smaller national and local organisations, are constantly recruiting new talent to boost their development. See for yourself by visiting the following websites:
Other less institutional actors, such as the co-working spaces in Biel/Bienne, also offer great networking platforms.
Biel/Bienne is innovative!
There is a very good reason why the Switzerland Innovation Foundation chose Biel/Bienne as one of its six strategic locations: covering an area of more than 15,000 m2 and situated right next to the railway station, the Switzerland Innovation Park Biel/Bienne (SIPBB) and its four research centres are the ideal place to turn your projects into marketable solutions. In a few years’ time, the presence of the new Biel/Bienne Campus directly opposite the SIPBB will further strengthen the existing links between companies, research centres and higher education institutions. 2,000 students and 650 specialists in research and development (R&D) will make use of the high-tech infrastructure to contribute their R&D expertise as they work in collaboration with businesses.
© Ben Zurbriggen
Biel/Bienne believes in education and training!
Biel/Bienne offers young people an extensive range of training opportunities at the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH) and the technical college Biel/Bienne Vocational Training Centre. For those already working in their chosen profession, postgraduate courses (MAS, DAS, CAS) and further training courses are also available. The universities of Neuchâtel and Bern, which can be reached directly by train in 15 and 30 minutes respectively, round out the educational opportunities in the region.
© Stöh Grünig
Biel/Bienne, a city of opportunities!
In Biel/Bienne, anything is possible – or almost anything! And it’s all waiting for you – come and discover the city and its infrastructure, which encourages innovative projects and promotes the development of talent!
A few facts and figures about Biel/Bienne:
- 56,000 inhabitants – a «young(ish)» population compared to the rest of Switzerland
- Second largest city in the canton of Bern, tenth largest in Switzerland
- Switzerland’s largest bilingual city (German and French)
- In the heart of Switzerland’s second largest export region
- Three international airports nearby (Geneva, Zurich, Basel-Mulhouse)
- Two big names in the Swiss watch industry (Harry Borer, Rolex, and Nicolas G. Hayek, Swatch Group) awarded honorary citizenship
- Headquarters of Swiss Tennis at Roger-Federer-Allee 1
