With Swiss rents high and rising it should follow that more would be invested in building new homes. However, that isn’t the case. The newspaper Blick asks experts why. As rents rise landlords should stand to make more from their investments. Many are also quick to assume that higher rents mean landlords are making excessive […]
Switzerland’s rent rate comes close to rising
Four times a year the rate of interest used to set the rents in Switzerland is reviewed. If the aggregate average mortgage rate goes down some renters can request lower rent. If it goes up some landlords can raise rents. This time the rate remained at 1.25%, however it was close to moving to 1.5%. […]
Call to raise minimum language requirement for citizenship in Swiss canton
What level of language mastery should be required to become Swiss? Members of the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) in the canton of Zug have decided the current language requirements for naturalisation in the canton are too low, so the party has put forward a motion to raise them, reported Blick. Who gets to become Swiss […]
Swiss government backtracks on pension increase
In December 2022, parliament sent a recommendation to the Federal Council to increase state pensions by the rate of inflation. However, this week a parliamentary majority voted not to, reported RTS. The Federal Council had already boosted state pensions by 2.5% from 1 January 2023 before calls were made to bump them up by 2.8% […]
Swiss Rail defends surveillance camera plan
Following concerns and criticism at its plans to install cameras in stations, this week Swiss Rail defended its plan, reported RTS. The train operator said that the cameras, which will record passenger movements in some of its nationwide network of stations, will not record personal data or use facial recognition technology. Last week, the consumer […]
Swiss inflation accelerated in January 2023
Upward pressure on prices continues in Switzerland. Recently published data show annual inflation rising to 3.3% to the end of January 2023, up from 2.8% at the end of 2022. Public sector workers in parts of Switzerland have been demanding salary increases. In Vaud they have been demanding indexation. Looking back across a longer period […]
Living alone most common way to live in Switzerland
Data published this week by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) show the number of single person households continues to rise. Eight years ago there were 1.3 million single person households. The latest figures show there are 1.4 million, a rise of around 10%. This type of household makes up 38.4% of the total, up from […]
Swiss homeownership rates remain static
In 2021, 1.4 million households in Switzerland owned their home, 36.3% percent of all households, according to statistics published on 23 February 2023. The rate of homeownership in Switzerland has remained fairly stable since 2000. Back then it was 34.6%. After rising to 38.4% in 2016, it has declined gradually to where it is today […]
Swiss ambassador angers Iranians with chador
Switzerland’s ambassador to Iran angered Iranians around the world by wearing a chador, a traditional full-body-length garment that is pulled over the head, while visiting Qom, a holy city in Iran, reported RTS. People from around the world, including Switzerland, reacted with outrage at the images. For many months, a large number of Iranians have […]
Low underground water levels cause concern in Switzerland
At climate change bites the effects are becoming more apparent in Switzerland. A current concern is the lack of ground water, reported RTS this week. The amount of rainfall in parts of Switzerland in 2022 was half of what it was in 2021. The cantons of Valais and Ticino in particular have been badly affected. […]
