Swiss authorities have been working hard to get more Ukrainian refugees off welfare and into work. They set a target of 40% by the end of 2024. However, their efforts have come up short. Only 29% of those of working age are in work, according to the latest data. This figure stands in contrast to […]
The rush for Swiss passports in Zug
The canton of Zug recently tightened its citizenship laws. Since 1 January 2025, the rules for applying to become Swiss in the canton are more strict. In the months before these changes came into force, the number of applications skyrocketed, reported RTS. The requirements for becoming Swiss have federal, cantonal and municipal elements. This means […]
The Body Shop to shut down in Switzerland
This week, the shut down of The Body Shop in Switzerland was announced, reported SRF. The brand’s 33 remaining shops will close in May 2025. The Body Shop Switzerland is a franchise owned and operated by the Coop supermarket group. Coop has said that it will not extend the franchise contract, which ends in May […]
Zurich faces major shortage of workers by 2050
This week, modelling published by the Zurich Office for Economic Affairs, shows a significant shortage of workers emerging in the canton by 2050. Within 25 years, Zurich will have tens of thousands of workers less than it needs, despite a growing population. The modelling shows that as more people retire from the workforce than enter […]
Switzerland cuts low emission heating subsidies
In 2023, Swiss voters accepted a plan to provide subsidies to replace oil and basic electric heating with cleaner more efficient heating, such as electric heat pumps. The plan involved spending CHF 200 million a year on such incentives over a 10-year period starting on 1 January 2025. However, Switzerland’s federal parliament decided in December […]
Avoid buying new electronic road tax vignette from unofficial sources
Every year, motorists in Switzerland must pay CHF 40 francs if they want to drive on the nations federal motorways – this map shows the routes. There is a physical sticker and an electronic version. The electronic version has led to a number of unofficial online sellers, which add a fee. Those wishing to purchase […]
Switzerland’s Catholic Church hopes psychological tests will reduce sexual abuse
A study by the University of Zurich in 2023 into sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church in Switzerland provided clear estimates of the scale of crimes committed within the institution, prompting church leaders to act. This week, SRF reported on measures the church plans to introduce to combat these crimes. One is psychological testing […]
Swiss central bank to share recent profits
The Swiss National Bank (SNB), Switzerland’s central bank, has a narrow role: to ensure price stability, which means managing inflation. Sometimes in the course of this task it generates a profit. For the year ended 31 December 2024, the SNB made a profit of CHF 80 billion, of which CHF 3 billion will be paid […]
Victim of abuse in Swiss army speaks out
In October 2024, Switzerland’s military published the results of an anonymous survey, which showed widespread discrimination and sexualised violence in the organisation. Recently, RTS interviewed a victim of the discrimination and violence who described her experience in detail. In the October survey, around half of survey participants (49.6%) claimed that they had or may have […]
Swiss Rail’s European ranking drops from 2nd to 11th after error corrected
In a ranking published in December 2024, Swiss Rail was ranked the second best railway company in Europe. This week, RTS reported that its ranking had dropped to 11th out of 27. Why? Oddly, in its app, Swiss Rail presents half price tickets as the default price, describing them as “tickets from” the half price […]
