The latest figures forecast Switzerland’s federal spending for 2018 will be CHF 0.9 billion less than expected. This and higher than expected receipts of CHF 1.3 billion add up to an extra CHF 2.2 billion on top of an original budget surplus of CHF 0.3 billion, bringing the total forecast federal surplus to CHF 2.5 […]
Swiss still world’s richest
According to the annual wealth report produced by Credit Suisse, Switzerland leads on wealth per adult with US$ 530,240, comfortably ahead of second-placed Australia where the figure is US$ 411,060. The US is third with US$ 403,060. During the twelve months to mid-2018, aggregate global wealth rose by US$ 14.0 trillion to US$ 317 trillion, […]
Swiss temperatures set to drop significantly
According to Swiss Meteo temperatures are set to drop significantly over the weekend, with daily highs dropping by around 10 degrees to around 7 degrees across most of Switzerland north of the Alps. On Tuesday the snow line could fall as low a 1,000 metres in western Switzerland, according to the forecaster. It could be […]
Self-employment declining in Switzerland
The percentage of Switzerland’s workers working for themselves has been slowly declining. In 2010, 13.7% of workers were self-employed. By 2017, the figure was 12.8% – self-employed includes those working as independents and those working for companies they own. Swiss (14.5%) are far more likely to be self-employed than foreigners (7.9%). This is partly explained […]
Investigating suspected welfare cheats – Swiss vote on where to draw the line
On 25 November 2018, Swiss will vote on whether to accept laws allowing detectives to uncover welfare fraud. Currently, there is nothing specific in Swiss law covering the practice. In the past, investigators have been used to gather evidence on disability and accident beneficiaries. Between 2009 and 2016, detectives were used on around 220 investigations […]
Halloween in Switzerland
Many expats, particularly north Americans, may be surprised to discover that Halloween is not widely celebrated in Switzerland. Long before Halloween existed, a Gaelic festival known as Samhain marked the end of the harvest season and the descent into winter darkness. Some believed it was the time when the souls of the dead roamed the […]
Flu vaccination season begins in Switzerland
Every year, Switzerland has a nationwide flu vaccination programme ahead of the winter season. The best time to get vaccinated is between mid-March and mid-November. The vaccination programme started on 23 October and will run until 9 November 2018. This year is the first with vaccinations offered simultaneously in doctor’s surgeries and pharmacies. Last flu […]
Swiss clocks go back one hour this Sunday
Early on Sunday 28 October 2018 Swiss clocks turn back one hour. Officially they are adjusted at 3am. This means you can stay in bed longer and it will be lighter when you get up. On the down side, it will be darker in the evenings. The rest of Europe will adjust its clocks at […]
Swiss arms exports rose almost 18% in 2018
Switzerland exported close to 18% more arms over the first nine months of 2018 than it did in the first nine months of 2017, according to figures published by State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). According to the numbers, in the nine months to 30 September 2018, Swiss companies exported close to CHF 300 million […]
Swiss Rail plans to test free WiFi on trains
Swiss Rail announced on Thursday that it would test free WiFi, named FreeSurf, on certain routes next year with a plan to extend the offer to all major routes from 2020, according to RTS. Train passengers benefiting from the tests in 2019 will be those travelling on InterCity trains between Lausanne and St. Gallen, Geneva […]
