Swiss parliamentarian Isabelle Pasquier-Eichenberger from the Green Party has asked the Federal Council to ban the import of vehicles weighing 2 tonnes or more from 2022. Heavy SUVs are becoming more and more popular in Switzerland. In 2019, around 130,000 were sold compared to 50,000 in 2010. They now make up 40% of new car […]
The invisible lock invented in Switzerland
Researchers in Switzerland have developed an invisible lock made of a printed transparent electronic material. The transparent touch sensitive material can be placed anywhere, which means, unlike a traditional keypad, making it very difficult for an intruder to even know where to press. The team at Switzerland’s EMPA research centre is focused on developing thin […]
Swiss upper house votes to raise pension age for women
As Switzerland’s population ages the number of people paid state pension is rising relative to the number of workers funding it. Since 2014, more has been paid out than has been paid in. The most effective way to fix this imbalance is to raise the pension age. If the average life expectancy of a retiree […]
Four ways the world has changed for MBA graduates
Brought to you be QS Online MBA events. The last twelve months have brought high levels of business uncertainty, affecting the ability of businesses to forecast and make hiring decisions. Unemployment in Switzerland has risen, especially among younger workers. By the end of 2020 unemployment in Switzerland had reached 7.3% among those aged 15-24 and […]
18% of Swiss hotel and restaurant businesses already closed down
A recently published survey run by Gastrosuisse, a hotel and restaurant industry association, suggests that 18.4% of businesses in the sector have already closed down due to the business disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. 18.4% of the businesses polled reported that they had already closed with no plans to reopen. Without financial aid 23% […]
Zurich votes to require disclosure of nationality of criminal suspects
Last weekend, 55% of voters in the canton of Zurich voted in favour of a plan to require the disclosure of the nationality of those suspected of committing crimes in police reports. Changing this rule is an issue that has been pushed by some of Switzerland’s politicians for decades. The argument for the disclosure is […]
Swiss government wants more women in the army
In Switzerland, all able bodied male citizens are required by law to serve in Switzerland’s military. For Swiss women there is currently no such obligation. A recently published defence ministry report outlines measures to encourage the integration of more women in the Swiss army, who currently make up only 0.9% of Switzerland’s military personnel. Thomas […]
Swiss burka ban passed with support of muslims and feminists
On 7 March 2021, a vote to ban face covering was accepted by 51.2% of Swiss voters. The proposal achieved majorities in 20 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons. Only in the cantons of Graubunden, a canton with a large tourism sector, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Bern, and the urban cantons of Basel-City, Geneva, Zurich did a majority of voters reject the ban […]
Farming lobby hurting Swiss chocolate sector, says industry association
Swiss chocolate sales went into steep decline in 2020, according to ChocoSuisse, Switzerland’s chocolate industry association. The amount of chocolate produced in Switzerland in 2020 was 10% lower than in 2019 and sales revenue was down by 14.5%, a sharp drop. In 2020, Swiss chocolatiers produced around 180,000 tons, 20,000 tons less than the year […]
Swiss vote in favour of face covering ban and Indonesian trade deal but not e-ID – 7 Mar 2021
Today, Swiss voters voted on whether to ban face covering, whether to accept a government plan for issuing electronic IDs and whether to accept a trade deal with Indonesia that some argue does too little to protect tropical forests. Both the votes on banning face covering and accepting the trade deal with Indonesia were accepted by 51.2% and 51.7% of voters respectively. […]
