Every year, Switzerland sets quotas for the number of work visas it issues to citizens outside the EU and EFTA. This week the government announced it would maintain the quota of 8,500 permits that was in place in 2018. In addition, it confirmed an earlier deal it struck with the UK to issue up to […]
1 in 10 Swiss hospitals face financial difficulty
Around one hospital in ten in Switzerland could end up in financial difficultly, according to a report by PWC. In addition, 37 of the 44 hospitals surveyed will not be profitable enough to remain competitive over the next five to ten years, predict the authors of the report. The shift towards more outpatient care instead […]
Number of jobs reaches all-time high in Switzerland
Unemployment rose in the third quarter of 2019, however, there have never been more jobs in Switzerland. The total number of jobs in Switzerland rose to 5.137 million at 30 September 2019, a level never seen before. The figure was 1.3% higher than at 30 September 2018 and 0.3% higher than 30 June 2019. And […]
Most Swiss prefer home grown eggs, meat and dairy
Recently published statistics suggest most Swiss prefer home grown animal products. Three quarters (75%) of those surveyed said they preferred Swiss eggs and more than half preferred Swiss meat (51%) and dairy products (59%). Reasons for preferring local animal products were to support local farmers (nearly 25%), low food miles (15%) and product quality (15%). […]
40% of over 50s in Switzerland want to work beyond retirement, suggests survey
40% of workers currently aged between 50 and 64 would like to continue working beyond retirement age, according to a survey conducted by Deloitte. Switzerland’s growing demographic imbalance is not only putting pressure on Switzerland’s social security system but also reducing its pool of labour. According to UBS, by 2030, the Swiss labour market will […]
Parts of Switzerland becoming too hot for middle eastern tourists
While the latest statistics show a rise in the number of tourists visiting Switzerland over the summer, tourist numbers from some countries fell significantly. Overall, the number of visitors to Switzerland in June, July and August rose by 3.9% compared to 2018. However, the numbers from Saudi Arabia (-8.7%) and the UAE (-13.4%) were down […]
Drug spending continues to explode in Switzerland
Last week, the government announced that it had shaved CHF 100 million off the cost of drug purchases from 1 January 2020. This week numbers obtained by RTS from Curafutura, a health insurance association, show drug spending rose CHF 420 million from CHF 6.9 billion to CHF 7 billion between October 2018 and September 2019 […]
More than 100 members of Extinction Rebellion convicted in Switzerland
In September 2019, groups of people belonging to the environmental protest group Extinction Rebellion blocked two road bridges in Lausanne. Local police cleared the bridges by removing, in some cases carrying, protesters away. On 7 November 2019, 117 of the people involved in the bridge protests were convicted and fined for breaking Switzerland’s penal code, […]
Geneva to ban Uber if it doesn’t change its operating model
After a legal analyis the government of the canton of Geneva has decided that drivers of the ride hailing service are employees rather than independent contractors, effectively banning Uber from operating under its current model. In an interview with RTS, Mauro Poggia, a lawyer and Geneva state councillor, said that Uber is a transport company […]
Negative rates might go lower, says Swiss National Bank chairman
Thomas Jordan, chairman of the Swiss National Bank (SNB), told the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper recently that central bank interest rates might need to go further into negative territory. Responding to growing criticism of negative central bank interest rates, Jordan said negative interest rates could continue and a further reduction is possible. Could Swiss banks […]
