According to a new study by Deloitte, one in four people in Switzerland works as a freelancer and another 25% would like to next year. Technology and the internet are the main drivers behind the trend. The shift to knowledge intensive careers is allowing greater mobility. 28% already work at least half a day a […]
Archives for February 2016
Swiss watch exports drop further in January
Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. Swiss watch exports slid for the seventh consecutive month as plummeting stocks and slowing economies damped demand for luxury timepieces in their main markets. The two biggest destinations for Swiss watch exports — Hong Kong and the U.S. — were almost exclusively responsible for the global downturn, the Federation […]
Nestle sees continued sales slowdown
Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. Nestle SA forecasts 2016 sales below analyst estimates, increasing pressure on Chief Executive Officer Paul Bulcke to find new areas of growth as he enters the home stretch of his tenure. Revenue growth will be similar to last year’s 4.2 percent on an organic basis, itself the slowest pace […]
Government plan to cut Swiss farm aid causes friction in Bern
Some political parties say Switzerland needs to save, but not at the expense of farmers, reports 20 Minutes. Parties upset by planned cuts include the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP), the PDC/CVP and PBD/BDP. The Swiss People’s Party in particular, has a long history of defending farmers’ interests. Some in French-speaking Switzerland still refer to it as the “parti agrarien”. […]
Ticino vote to tax employee carparks gets green light
20 Minutes. The Italian-speaking Canton of Ticino will soon ask voters if the carparks companies give their staff should be taxed. The Canton announced on Monday that more than 24,000 signatures from those supporting the proposal had been collected, enough to put the decision to a public vote on 5 June 2016. The proposal if […]
A good reason to scrape snow and ice off your car before driving
This video was posted by Vaud’s police on their Facebook page. The driver is in the United States however the message is universal. For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Geneva to provide official forms in English. Smart move or English invasion?
This week the city of Geneva announced plans to provide administrative and promotional documents in English and four other languages. The city welcomes nearly 20,000 new residents every year and city officials have decided language shouldn’t be a barrier to accessing public services. After a survey they decided on five languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Albanian, Arabic […]
Swiss real estate heads further towards bubble territory
Last week UBS released its real estate bubble index for the last quarter of 2015. According to the bank, the risk moved from 1.34 in Q3 2015, to finish the year at 1.41. Anything over 1.0 is considered risky and anything beyond 2.0 is bubble territory. Before property prices crashed in the 1990s, the index rose […]
Swiss stocks suffer amid global sell off as financial heavyweights are punished.
12 February 2016 – Swiss and global market roundup. Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. The SMI is expected to underperform global markets again this week after stocks lost further ground on rapidly declining global investor sentiment. Equity markets around the world tumbled as Japan, Europe and emerging Asia suffered heavy losses with global banking stocks […]
Speeding skier convicted after hitting another skier on a piste at Verbier
Speeding down a piste at Verbier in March 2014, a skier hit a German tourist from behind. The German tourist was skiing normally, but because he was hit from behind, he had no chance to avoid the impact, which dislocated his shoulder and broke one of his bones. The other skier broke his ankle, however his […]