Agencies paying social welfare in Switzerland will be able to hire detectives to uncover fraud from 1 October 2019. In Switzerland, between 2009 and 2016, detectives were used on around 220 investigations a year. Two thirds of those trailed were found guilty of fraud. In 2016, the European court of human rights ruled that accident […]
New 100 Swiss franc note coming soon
Recently, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) unveiled the new 100 franc banknote. The note’s design is inspired by Switzerland’s tradition of humanitarianism, represented on the note by water. The note remains blue but is much smaller than the existing one, making it easier to fit into wallets. The note is the last one in Switzerland’s ninth series […]
Swiss trade with much of South America should soon be tariff free
A deal agreed between EFTA and the South American Mercosur bloc, which includes Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay, with a combined population of 260 million, is close to signing. EFTA includes Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. Under the deal, 95% of Switzerland’s CHF 3.6 million annual exports to the bloc would be tariff free. The […]
Most Swiss election candidates favour raising retirement age to 67
A majority of the candidates putting themselves forward for election as federal parliamentarians on 20 October 2019 favour raising Switzerland’s retirement age to 67, according to a survey done by Smartvote and reported in the newspaper NZZ am Sonntag. This could produce a parliamentary majority on the issue after the federal election. Switzerland’s official retirement […]
Swiss meat remains most expensive in Europe
To anyone familiar with Swiss prices, the results of Eurostats’ 2018 European meat price comparison will come as no surprise. The study compares the average meat price across 38 European countries to the average meat price across the EU (EU-28 nations). Meat includes beef and veal, pork, lamb, mutton and goat, poultry, other meats and […]
Work related stress rising in Switzerland
Work-related stress is affecting more and more people in Switzerland, according to a study published by the Federal Statistical Office. In 2012, 18% said they felt stressed at work most of the time. By 2017, the same figure had risen to 21%. Nine potential drivers of on-the-job stress were looked at. Only 11% said they […]
Swiss unemployment down in second quarter of 2019
In the second quarter of 2019, the percentage of Switzerland’s population working rose by 1.1% and the percentage unemployed fell to 4.2%, based on the higher International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) measure. In the second quarter of 2019, 5.1 million people were working in Switzerland, 60% of the population. The number working rose 1.1% compared to […]
Swiss government approves measures to cut healthcare costs
Swiss healthcare is expensive and most of it is paid directly by individuals (69%). Only the US has a more expensive healthcare system, according to Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office. The political pressure on Switzerland’s government to address the problem has been intensifying for some time. This week, the federal government announced nine measures to cut […]
Swiss health insurers to send patients to pharmacy first
Swiss healthcare is typically ranked the world’s second most expensive, as a percentage of GDP, after the US. In Switzerland, compulsory health insurance premiums cover 37% of healthcare costs. Much of the rest is covered by tax payers and non-reimbursable out-of-pocket payments by individuals. As part of a plan to reduce costs, this week, the […]
Swiss taxis Europe’s most expensive
In a recent comparison of taxi fares across Europe, Geneva and Zurich were the most expensive. In the study, which focused on the total cost of a taxi journey from the airport to the centre of town, Geneva (€36 – CHF40) and Zurich (€63 – CHF70) fared better than Milan (€105) and London (€104), which […]
