Switzerland is made up of 26 cantons – technically six are half cantons1 – each with its own distinct taxes, education system, hospitals and government. Land area varies significantly, from 37 sq/km Basel-Stadt to 7,105 sq/km Graubünden. Population is also highly varied, from tiny Appenzell Innerrhoden (16k) up to Zurich with nearly 1.5 million. Unsurprisingly, […]
Swiss franc could hit 1.22 by year end, according to economists
According to Le Matin, economists at Swiss Life think the rise of the Swiss franc could be over and predict it will weaken to 1.22 to the euro by the end of the year. At the same time they point to risks that could send the currency in the opposite direction, such as the election in […]
The number of people on welfare continues to rise in Switzerland
In 2016, around 273,000 people, 3.3% of the population, received welfare in Switzerland. The number (not the rate) was 2.9% higher than the year before and 15.7% higher than 5 years earlier when the rate was 3.0%. Rates of those receiving government aid varied significantly by canton, ranging from 0.8% in Appenzell Innerrhoden to 7.4% […]
Switzerland has more job vacancies than jobseekers
Speaking to Tages-Anzeiger, Cornel Müller, director of marketing at x28, Switzerland’s largest job search aggregator, said there was a large jump in the number of jobs available in Switzerland compared to one year ago. At the end of 2017, 178,000 vacant posts were advertised, 22,000 more than at the end of 2016. The meta search […]
Swiss tourism – sharp rises and falls from some countries over the summer
The number of visitors to Switzerland rose 6% this summer, but this headline figure hides some steep rises and falls. From May to October 2017, 11 million people holidayed in Switzerland, 644,000 more than the over same period in 2016. Swiss made up close to half the total (4.9 million), followed by Germans (950k), Americans […]
Switzerland’s “harmful tax regime” gets it on EU grey list
This week EU Finance ministers came out with a list of countries it thinks don’t measure up to its definition of good tax behaviour. There are two categories: blacklist and so-called “grey list”. Black is bad and grey is heading toward good, but not yet there. Switzerland is on the “grey list”. To stay off […]
Airbnb charges some customers more than others, particularly the Swiss
Many Swiss residents travel to neighbouring eurozone countries for their holidays. These countries are close and Swiss francs go far there. However, to get the most out of a strong currency you need a good exchange rate. If a Swiss resident presenting euro cash at a checkout in Germany or France was told they couldn’t […]
Amazon Prime coming to Switzerland
According to the newspaper Bilanz, Amazon has signed an agreement with Swiss post to provide rapid customs clearance. The head of postal customs, Felix Stierli, confirmed discussions with the company. A maximum customs clearance time of 3 hours will allow 24-hour delivery, one element of Amazon’s Prime offer. Once Prime is available, Swiss customers will […]
Stress rises among Swiss workers
A recent report by Travail.Suisse shows around 40% of Swiss workers report feeling often or very often stressed by their work. Stress and emotional exhaustion is a daily reality for many says Travail.Suisse. Between 2015 and 2017, the percentage suffering work related stress or emotional exhaustion has risen from 38% to 48%. A key issue […]
Switzerland’s 1.3 billion franc payment to EU proves divisive
20 Minutes. Switzerland’s deal with the EU involves a financial contribution. The sum announced by the Federal Council is CHF 1.3 billion over the next 10 years. The arrangement, announced on Thursday to coincide with a visit by european commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, extends a previous 10 year deal. Not everyone is happy with the […]
