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Criticism of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) by Swiss unions intensified in 2007 after the Court ruled against workers in the Laval case in Sweden. © Paulgrecaud | Dreamstime.comLatvian workers were being paid less than the minimum wage on a construction site in Sweden. In protest, local workers blockaded the site. However, the CJEU ruled against the blockade on the grounds that it prevented the free movement of services. Swiss unions viewed the ruling as a failure...

Switzerland’s Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has accused three former officials of the German Football Association (DFB) and one from FIFA of fraud and has filed an indictment against them. © Brillianceeye | Dreamstime.comHorst Rudolf Schmidt, Theo Zwanziger and Wolfgang Niersbach, from the DFB, and Urs Linsi, a former Swiss FIFA official are all under the spotlight.  The four are accused of fraudulently misleading members of a supervisory body of the DFB organising committee for...

Until recently, Swiss case law placed the responsibility for drug addiction on the drug user. © Tomas Nevesely | Dreamstime.comDrug addicts only qualified for disability welfare if their addiction was connected with an illness or accident. A recent ruling on a case by the Federal Tribunal, Switzerland’s highest court, changes this.  The case involved a man in Zurich dependent on opioids and benzodiazepines, a type of drug sometimes used to alleviate the symptoms of alcohol...

Every year Luzern receives around 9.4 million visitors, or roughly 25,000 a day, according to a university study. © Marekusz | Dreamstime.comTourism is putting a strain on the city, bringing traffic to a standstill and creating crowds in public spaces. In addition, many visitors arrive on buses, tour the town, and leave without spending a night, which generates little for the economy and little to invest in additional infrastructure. According to the broadcaster RTS, the...

Figures on unfilled apprenticeship places show the difficulty of matching supply and demand in the labour market. © Industryviews | Dreamstime.comThis year there were 12,000 unfilled apprenticeship positions in Switzerland. Switzerland’s apprenticeship model, which helps match workers’ skills with employer demand, is one driver of Switzerland’s low unemployment (4.9%) – 2018 ILO basis. Switzerland has highest underemployment in Europe (Le News) However, it seems to be...

In 2018, 830,000 people in Switzerland were unable to find the work they wanted, according the Federal Statistical Office. © Mr.phonlawat Chaicheevinlikit | Dreamstime.comWhile 243,000 were looking but not immediately available and 231,000 were unemployed, most (356,000) were underemployed – working but unable to find as many hours of work as they’d like. The additional hours sought by underemployed workers was equivalent to 108,000 full time positions. Switzerland has the highest...

Yesterday, the Swiss franc reached its highest level against the euro in two years. © Valeriya Potapova | Dreamstime.comThe CHF/EUR exchange rate reached 1.097 on 24 July 2019, a rate not seen since early 2017. Upward pressure on the franc is partly being driven by expectations of interest rate cuts by eurozone and US central banks. In addition, the franc is considered a safe haven currency and typically rises when global risk perceptions rise. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has...

The website homegate.ch has compiled data on rental prices in Zurich, Basel, Bern and Geneva over the last two years. The data shows how rents have risen in these cities and presents them on maps showing prices rises by suburb in each of these cities. Paradeplatz Zurich_© Denis Linine _ Dreamstime.comThe data presents rental prices for a 70 square metre three-room apartment. The most expense location in Switzerland is Paradeplatz in Zurich where the average rental price is CHF 3,760....

The Swiss government has been looking at measures to shore up the finances of Switzerland’s pension system for some time. © motortion | Dreamstime.comThe difference between the official retirement age for women (64) and men (65) is an obvious target.  Recently, the Federal Council, Switzerland’s executive, said it would include increasing the retirement age of women from 64 to 65 in a package of reforms aimed at reducing the financial strain on the nation’s pension finances, something...

The Swiss bank UBS estimates there could be a shortfall of 500,000 workers in Switzerland in the coming 10 years as the baby boomer generation retires. © Sebnem Ragiboglu | Dreamstime.comHowever, the bank predicts the shortfall will not be even across all industries. Some sectors are expected to stagnate. Workers in these industries might find it harder to find work. Demand for workers is expected to be high in the health and care sectors but low in manufacturing. In general, growth is...