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% […]
Three quarters of Swiss voters favour burqa ban, suggests poll
A recent online poll run on behalf of the newspapers Le Matin Dimanche and SonntagsZeitung suggests a large majority of Swiss voters are in favour of a nationwide ban on face covering in public. Around 76% approve of the anti-face covering initiative launched by the group, known as the Egerkingen committee. The group, which presented […]
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 courts wrong on minaret ban speech case, rules european court
On 9 January 2018, the European Court of Human Rights decided against a decision by the Federal Tribunal, Switzerland’s highest court, and demanded the Swiss government pay 35,000 euros. The case relates to the publication of a speech leading up to the Swiss vote to ban the construction of minarets in 2009. On 5 November […]
Avalanche cuts Zermatt off from outside world
Yesterday, avalanche dangers in parts of Valais, including Zermatt and Saas Fee reached 5, the highest level, before shifting back to 4, according to the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research. Heavy snowfall strands 13,000 tourists in Swiss Alps https://t.co/tzllxV9FgJ #Zermatt pic.twitter.com/sIgeob96LV — AFP news agency (@AFP) January 9, 2018 Access in and out […]
Swiss Rail cuts train heating to save electricity
During January and February, Swiss Rail is experimenting with lower train temperatures in the hope of cutting its electricity bill. Dubbed the temperature reduction test project, the experiment will be run on the double-decker S-Bahn trains running from Zurich. During winter Swiss Rail heats carriages to 22 degrees. The project, run with Lucerne University, will alternate […]
Life satisfaction in Switzerland by age, money and household makeup
A recent report by Switzerland’s Federal Statistics Office shows how life satisfaction varies based on life situation. Life satisfaction in Switzerland, measured on a scale of zero to 10, sits just below 8 across all age groups. It peaks at an age of 16-17 at around 8.7. Then it’s all down hill to around 7.8 […]
My Swiss story – a volunteer from Texas in Montreux
Everyone has a story. My Swiss Story is a series that looks at lives in Switzerland. Lynn Denton is a volunteer. She volunteers for Be My Guide, showing visitors around her adopted home of Montreux, she volunteers for the Association pour le français à Clarens to help people with their French, she volunteers annually for Carton […]
Why storm Eleanor had two names
The area of low pressure that became a storm was first spotted in early December by experts at the Metrological Institute at the University of Berlin who named it Burglind. The institute has been naming storms since 1954. However, the UK Met Office and Met Eireann, its Irish counterpart, have a pre-agreed list of storm names. Eleanor was next […]
