The number of people receiving vocational-rehabilitation support through Switzerland’s disability-insurance system rose again in 2025. Mental illness remained the leading cause of disability, especially among young people. Some 61,000 people … [Read more...]
News and Features
THE 2026 VERBIER MUSIC FESTIVAL
JULY 16 – AUGUST 2 Among the prestigious classical artists appearing in Verbier this year are: EVGENY KISSIN, SIR SIMON RATTLE, JOSHUA BELL, MAO FUJITA, MARTHA ARGERICH, MISHA MAISKY, GÁBOR TAKÁCS-NAGY, KHATIA BUNIATISHVILI and many … [Read more...]
How the Big Mac Index overstates the Swiss franc’s strength
For 40 years, The Economist has indulged in what it refers to as “burgernomics”: a worldwide comparison of the price of a Big Mac. The McDonald’s Big Mac is remarkably consistent wherever you eat it, so you might expect its price to be consistent … [Read more...]
Fireworks ban exemptions prompt accusations of double standards
Ahead of Switzerland's national day on August 1st, fireworks have generally been banned due to the risk of forest fires, although official displays are still permitted in some places, reports SRF. With Switzerland parched by drought, almost … [Read more...]
Backers of the safe food initiative accuse government of deception and demand a retraction
The backers of Switzerland’s Safe Food initiative have lodged an appeal against the Federal Council and the Federal Chancellery, accusing them of misrepresenting the proposal in the official booklet for the vote on September 27th, RTS … [Read more...]
Guides
Hiring a cleaner – around half break law on Swiss accident insurance
Brought to you by quitt.ch - No. 1 provider of registration and administration services for domestic help in Switzerland. In Switzerland, around one in seven hire someone to do their cleaning, but around half break the law, risking fines and a big … [Read More...]
10-step guide to hiring an employee in Switzerland
Brought to you by quitt.business. For startups and small companies, hiring and onboarding new employees can be a real hassle. In Switzerland especially, there is a significant amount of admin to deal with. The following is a guide to all the … [Read More...]
Activities
Lake Geneva’s beautiful paddlewheel boats – getting there is way more than half the fun
They say that “getting there is half the fun”. But sometimes it’s more. A lot more. For example: a Lake Geneva cruise on a grand historic paddlewheel steamboat. Destination? Who cares? On a recent gorgeous Sunday afternoon, I, your intrepid … [Read more...]
The best way to save forests, according to a forester
Last summer, two mates and I set out on what turned out to be a “bridge-too-far” walking project. Switzerland is blessed with more than 60,000 km of walking trails crowned by seven iconic National Routes. The National Route 5 (which extends as the … [Read more...]
Places to go for early season skiing in Switzerland
Mention skiing in November and it is likely to draw blank expressions, or comments like: "It’s too early, there will be no snow". While this is true for some resorts not all ski domains were created equal. A recent study shows that in 2015, snow … [Read more...]
