Nearly 44% of renters surveyed said that coming up with the money pay rent is now harder than it was before Covid-19, according to ASLOCA, a renters’ association. Following the survey the organisation is calling for more protection against the cancellation of rental contracts and moratoriums on evictions. The main reason cited for the current […]
Swiss offers staff choice between pay cuts or job cuts
Swiss, Switzerland’s flag airline, which is part of the Lufthansa group, has asked employees to accept a 15% pay cut. If they reject this offer the airline has said 1,425 jobs will be at risk, 15% of the workforce, according to a report by the newspaper Sonntags Zeitung. “Our goal is to get through the […]
Referendum: Swiss to vote on ending EU agreement
On 27 September 2020, Swiss voters have many decisions to make. This time the list of votes includes decisions on fighter jets, hunting, tax deductions for child care and paternity leave. Probably the most important among them is a decision on whether to accept a proposal to end the EU agreement on the free movement […]
Switzerland ranked 4th for economic come back, according to study
A report published this week places Switzerland fourth on a list of countries best positioned to make an economic rebound after the coronavirus downturn. The analysis looks at overall health resilience, pre-existing structural strengths and weaknesses in 122 countries. The top four nations are Finland, Norway, Germany and Switzerland. These countries combine world class governance […]
Swiss Rail loses a third of passengers due to coronavirus
Recently published figures show rail passenger numbers dropped by more than a third during the first half of 2020. During this period an average of 810,000 passengers a day traveled on the network, a number more than a third less than during the first half of 2019 when there was 1.29 million. The number of […]
Swiss government relaxes rules for most polluting cars
Citing the economic effects of the Coronavirus pandemic, Switzerland’s Federal Council has decided to relax measures designed to curb the sale of the most polluting cars in Switzerland. In July 2012, Switzerland introduced regulations on the CO2 emissions of new cars. The rules, which include average fleet emissions limits, apply to any vendor importing more […]
Coronavirus: Switzerland considers adding only parts of France to its quarantine list
With daily infection rates in France rising to levels not seen since its previous peak in April 2020, the Swiss government is considering modifying its quarantine risk list system to include certain French regions rather than the whole country. The idea is being discussed as a potential way to avoid paralysing parts of Switzerland that […]
Switzerland remains first in the world for innovation
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has ranked Switzerland number one in the world for innovation for the tenth consecutive year, according to its latest Global Innovation Index (GII) published this week. Switzerland, Sweden, U.S., U.K and Netherlands lead the innovation ranking, which ranks more than 130 nations. The biggest change in Switzerland’s score this […]
Pandemic causes historic slump in Swiss GDP in second quarter
In the second quarter (Q2) of 2020, Switzerland’s GDP fell by –8.2 % after decreasing by –2.5 % in the previous quarter. GDP for Q2 2020 was 10.5% lower than Q4 2019. Domestic economic activity was severely restricted in the wake of the pandemic and the measures taken to contain it, said the government. However, […]
Journalists in Switzerland have not had a pay rise for 14 years
A recent survey by a Swiss union USS shows that average pay for journalists in Switzerland has barely risen for 14 years. In 2006, on average (median) a journalist earned CHF 7,200 a month. By 2020, this figure had risen to CHF 7,333, an average annual increase of 0.13%, which amounts to less than CHF […]
