Students staged protests across Switzerland on Wednesday against a plan to double university registration fees and other austerity measures in higher education, reported RTS. A petition with more than 37,000 signatures was handed to the Federal Chancellery in Bern. The fee rise forms part of the Federal Council’s 2027 budget-consolidation package. The Swiss Students’ Union […]
Switzerland’s family-doctor shortage continues to worsen
Switzerland faces a worsening shortage of general practitioners, according to a workforce study published on 2 October 2025. By 2035 hundreds will need replacing. Already three-quarters of practising doctors report a shortfall in their region. The survey, conducted by the University of Basel among 1,776 medical practices, highlights five main problems, says the Swiss association […]
A lesson in national cohesion – federal government considers forcing Swiss cantons to teach French
Switzerland’s government is considering forcing cantons to keep teaching a second national language in primary schools. The Federal Council said on September 19th that it would draft a law to that effect, though the rule would bite only if the 2004 compromise on language teaching were abandoned. Some German-speaking cantons have moved French from the […]
Switzerland to make it easier to adopt stepchildren
Switzerland’s government wants to make it simpler for step-parents to adopt. Under a draft law approved by the Federal Council, couples who have raised a child together since birth would no longer need to undergo a one-year foster-care period before adoption. The reform, which amends the Civil Code, stems from the introduction of “marriage for […]
Swiss upper house says no to daycare initiative
Switzerland’s Council of States has rejected a popular initiative on subsidised childcare but endorsed a watered-down alternative, reported SRF. The initiative, backed by the Social Democrats, Greens, Centre Party, Green Liberals and trade unions, would entitle every child from the age of three months until the end of primary school to supplementary childcare. Parents’ contributions […]
Swiss health declining, with poor sleep a leading problem
Fewer Swiss now say they are in good health. Only one in ten describe themselves as feeling very healthy, down from one in five when the insurer CSS began surveying well being in 2020. The decline is steepest among the young. Nearly half of those aged 18 to 35 report poor sleep, alongside exhaustion, loneliness […]
Zurich to stop teaching French in primary schools
Zurich is the latest German-speaking Swiss canton to question Switzerland’s policy of teaching French from the first years of school. This week, its cantonal council voted to scrap early French lessons, joining Appenzell Ausserrhoden, which made a similar decision earlier this year. Proposals to delay French instruction until high school are under discussion in other […]
Swiss grand parents lead Europe on childcare
According to Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO), nearly two-thirds of children under 13 received some form of supplementary family care in 2023. On average, Swiss children spent 14 hours a week in non-parental care. Unsurprisingly, the youngest children received the most attention: those under four clocked in around 20 hours weekly. Grandparents bear a significant […]
8-step guide to hiring a nanny in Switzerland
Brought to you by quitt.ch – No. 1 provider of registration and administration services for domestic help in Switzerland. 1. What do nannies cost in Switzerland? Nannies are expensive in Switzerland. Average monthly salaries range from CHF 3,300 to CHF 6,500 depending on experience and where you live. Nannies cost more in Zurich, Basel and […]
Switzerland to ban single-use e-cigarettes
On 4 June 2025, Switzerland’s upper house voted to ban the sale of disposable e-cigarettes, known as vapes, marking a rare show of regulatory boldness in a country with weak laws against smoking. By 19 votes to 11, the Council of States approved a motion introduced by Green Party MP Christophe Clivaz that was already […]
