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Since 2016, drug makers have voluntarily published the amounts they pay to Swiss doctors, who prescribe drugs to patients. In 2017 the sum was CHF 12.5 million, according to the association Science Industries. © Pojoslaw | Dreamstime.com In 2016, the same figure was CHF 14 million. While drug makers publish the amounts paid, the information published does not always reveal the names of doctors receiving the money. Consumers of health services are therefore not always able to see how much...

Recently published data show that close to 60% of households in Switzerland rented their home at an average cost of CHF 1,329 per month in 2017. © Sergey Novikov | Dreamstime.com Average monthly rents ranged from CHF 752 for a studio up to CHF 2,323 for 6 rooms or more. The average household size in Switzerland was 2.23 people in 2017. 35% lived alone and a further 33% were two people. Only 19% were comprised of four people or more. The highest average monthly rent was in the canton of Zug...

A recent report by Addiction Suisse says Switzerland has created the ideal environment for the sale and consumption of drugs. © Jaymast | Dreamstime.com The report points out the easy availability of drugs in Switzerland. It says illegal drugs can be found quickly, easily and cheaply in Swiss cities. In addition, legal drugs are available around the clock in shops, service stations, vending machines, kiosques, casinos and on the internet. Among illegal drugs, cocaine is the biggest with...

There are various ways to measure unemployment. Switzerland’s standard measure looks at the number of people registered with unemployment offices across the country. By this measure Switzerland’s unemployment recently reached a 10 year low of 2.6%. © Gunnar3000 | Dreamstime.com Today, another unemployment measure was published. It shows a 0.1% increase in unemployment over the fourth quarter of 2018 to 4.6% or 227,000 people. This measure, defined by the International Labour Organisation...

In October 2018, government number crunchers revised Switzerland’s federal forecast budget surplus up from CHF 0.3 billion to CHF 2.5 billion. © Makasanaphoto | Dreamstime.com Today, Bern announced that provisional calculations for 2018 now show a surplus of CHF 2.9 billion, CHF 0.4 billion more than last year’s revised figure. The increase was driven by strict spending discipline and higher than expected receipts, according to the press release. In 2017, Switzerland managed a surplus of CHF...

Only female hens can lay eggs. Many of the hens used to produce eggs come from hatcheries that sort and dispose of the male chicks. © Emiralikokal | Dreamstime.com One way some dispose of these unwanted chicks is by grinding them alive, a gruesome process known as maceration – this video shows how it’s done [WARNING: graphic footage]. Defenders of animal rights in Switzerland want this practice ended. A parliamentary commission recently voted 13 to 7 in favour of a motion to change the law to...

A recent survey by the Federal Statistical Office shows the overall median pay gap in Switzerland’s private sector shrunk to 12% in 2016, down from 12.5% in 2014 and 15.6% in 2010. © Charlieaja | Dreamstime.com In 2016, median pay for women was CHF 6,011 francs a month and median pay for men was CHF 6,830. The gap rose to 18.54% for the highest management positions. Here median pay for men was CHF 10,878 and CHF 8,861 for women. For those with no managerial responsibility the gap was only...

Either at work, at a restaurant, on public transport or in a shop, nearly half of Swiss admit to stealing, according to a survey by moneyland.ch © Industryviews | Dreamstime.com 49% of the 1,500 questioned in the survey admitted to pocketing something without paying. Young people admitted to being the most light fingered. Around a fifth of those aged 18-25 had taken something from the supermarket Migros (20%) or Coop (18%). The rates for all adults were lower: Migros (12%) and Coop (11%). 1%...

A recent survey suggests that half of Swiss residents are satisfied with their financial situation while 6% said they have trouble making ends meet. © Pavalache Stelian | Dreamstime.com In addition, 28% expect their finances to improve in 2019, although fewer women (25%) than men (33%) expect this. 18% expect their finances to worsen and 54% expect no change. Views varied significantly by age group. 40% of those under 36 expected their finances to get better. This dropped to 33% among those...

A recent report places Switzerland second in a ranking of 33 european countries on conditions in the youth labour market in 2016 – youth are those between 15 and 24. © Auremar | Dreamstime.com Switzerland’s overall score of 5.67 out of 7.00 is close to Denmark’s 5.72. Switzerland’s highest scores are for employment rate (6.01) and working conditions (5.77), with education (5.36) and smoothness of transition to work (5.52) coming in lower. This version of the report is focused on the skills...