The commission fighting against undeclared workers in the restaurant business has published its annual report. A total of 241 companies throughout Vaud were inspected and the status of 3,425 employees verified. Half of the checks were random, the others as a result of denunciations. There was a slight increase over last year, when 147 companies […]
Glencore under wide attack
Zug-based mining and commodities giant Glencore is facing fierce, detailed criticism of its operations and financial dealings in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Swiss NGOs Bread for All and Fastenopfer, and UK human rights watchdog RAID have issued an exhaustive report accusing the company of allegedly polluting drinking water, evading tax, opaque financial transactions, human […]
EPFL’s cement discovery
LAUSANNE Ten per cent of the earth’s CO2 emissions are emitted by industrial processes related to the creation of cement. The widely used construction material negatively impacts on the environment at all stages of its production. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation has now granted more than CHF 4 million to a project instigated […]
Geneva: how to turbo boost the region
GENEVA Following growing curbs on Swiss banking, the migration vote and last month’s xenophobic surge in the European elections, is the Lake Geneva region taking appropriate steps to ensure a competitive economic edge? While both the cantons of Geneva and Vaud are increasingly pooling their resources – and ideas – it remains unclear as to […]
Health spending reaches 11.5% of Swiss GDP
Swiss medical care costs rose from 11% of GDP in 2011 to 11.5% in 2012 due largely to an unprecedented increase of CHF 2.3 billion in hospital spending. With the average healthcare spend per person reaching CHF 709, the nation’s total 2012 health bill reached a record CHF 68 billion.
Online overtaking taxi cartels
Taxi tariffs in the region are expensive and compare unfavourably even with Paris or London. French-side taxis are cheaper, but fewer and far between. The trade is highly regulated with virtual monopolies or cartels operating without any real threat of competition. The operators justify their rates by arguing that they provide a safe, secure and […]
Palexpo generates CHF 581 million for region
Palexpo, Geneva’s exhibition and conference centre turned over CHF 77m in 2013, an increase of 15% over last year, despite the number of events it hosted falling from 110 to 96. Based on calculations modelled by two professors from the University of Geneva, Palexpo reports that its activity generated CHF 581 million for the regional […]
Vote on world’s highest minimum wage
The Swiss will vote on a controversial minimum wage proposal of CHF 4,000 per month (CHF 22 an hour) at the next nationwide referendum on 18 May. The Swiss Trade Union Federation, which launched the initiative, is also calling for both Bern and the cantons to ensure that minimum rates become part of collective agreements. […]
Switzerland’s population increased by 1.2% in 2013
This week the Federal Statistical Office reported that Switzerland’s population grew by 97,600 to 8,136,700, an increase of 1.2% on 2012. This is equivalent to a conurbation the size of Vevey and Montreux. While natural growth accounted for 17,200, immigration brought 80,400 people into the country. The report stated that the average age of immigrants […]
Foreign businesses losing confidence
ZURICH Many foreign companies say they are limiting plans to invest in Switzerland as they await implementation of the February initiative against mass immigration. A survey by the Zurich-based Swiss Economic Institute (KOF) on 25 April revealed that 13% of the 2,700 firms surveyed reported reduced confidence in investing in Switzerland. Although few companies have […]
