Recently published figures show a 7% decline in the percentage of men in Switzerland’s workforce between 1991 and 2018. The workforce figures, which include the unemployed, show a fall in male workforce participation from 81% to 74%, a 7% decline over 27 years. At the same time, the percentage of women working rose 6% from […]
Geneva Motor Show 2019 – the list of absent car makers
Car technology is transforming. So is the way people find out about new cars. Buyers are increasingly preferring the internet to find out about new models. In addition, presenting at car shows is expensive. Jaguar Land Rover, the maker of the Jaguar I-Pace, 2019’s Car of the Year, seems to have recognised these shifts and […]
Poor air quality in two thirds of Swiss classrooms
A recent study by Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) estimates that the air quality in two thirds of Swiss classrooms is inadequate. The main problem is the build up of CO2. High CO2 concentration affects the concentration of those in the room. It can also provoke head aches and lethargy. The study, which […]
How a young computer scientist at CERN changed the world 30 years ago
Thirty years ago, in March 1989, a young computer expert working at CERN came up with a proposal for an internet-based hypertext system to link and access information across different computers. In the interview below, Tim Berners-Lee describes how his early requests to experiment with his idea were ignored. CERN was set up for physics […]
Brexit deal with Switzerland now signed
On 25 February, representatives of Switzerland and the United Kingdom signed an agreement preserving the rights already acquired by citizens residing in the other’s territory after the UK leaves the EU. Any rights already acquired by a citizen of either country under current EU rules will be preserved for life. The agreement was signed by […]
Switzerland comes third globally for higher education
Switzerland trails only the US and UK in this year’s QS World University Ranking. UK-based QS, which ranks 1,200 universities across 78 countries, placed Switzerland’s two federal universities, ETHZ (7th) and EPFL (22nd), in the global top 50 in 2019. ETHZ was ranked in the top 10 across 22 domains, ranking first in biosciences. Both […]
Second hottest February south of Swiss Alps since records began
February 2019 was unusually hot in Switzerland. According to Swiss Meteo, the region south of the Alps experienced the second highest average February temperature since records began in 1864. The average monthly temperature at the 3,580 metre measurement point on the peak Jungfraujoch was 5 degrees higher than the norm between 1981 and 2010. The […]
Cost of winter sports accidents up 70 percent in Switzerland
According to figures published by the assurer SUVA, the cost of winter sports accidents has risen by 70% over the last 15 years. Around a quarter of Switzerland’s population partake in snow sport. Every year around 33,000 people living in Switzerland, who are insured for accidents via their employer, are hurt while skiing or snowboarding. […]
Sharp rise in divorce among Switzerland’s foreign population
This week, Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office published figures on the number of divorces in 2018. Overall Switzerland’s divorce numbers were up 2.1% at 16,200 for the year. However, when broken down the number of divorces among couples where both were Swiss went down 6.1% as did those where one was Swiss (-0.9%). Divorces among couples […]
Geneva wants to ban free plastic bags
The canton’s government could ban retailers from offering free plastic bags in the canton, according to the newspaper Tribune de Genève. Migros and Coop, Switzerland’s two large supermarkets stopped providing free plastic bags some time ago, so the ban would not affect them. The parliamentary vote, supported by the Green party and PDC, would mainly […]
