Swiss civil servants incur CHF121 million in expenses

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Diplomats and finance ministry officials have the highest travel-related expenses,

The expenses of Swiss civil servants added up to CHF 121.7 million ($122 million) last year, according to the SonntagsBlick newspaper.

Counting the 34,800 full-time positions in the federal administration in 2016, that level of spending amounts to almost CHF3,500 per civil servant.

The biggest spender is the defence ministry, with an invoice of CHF45.18 million. The head of the armed forces on Saturday apologised and said a culture shift was required in military ranks.

Next in line are the foreign affairs and finance ministry, spending CHF29.6 million and CHF18.6 million respectively.

Diplomats and finance ministry officials have the highest travel-related expenses,

The expenses of government employees are high relative to the private sector, according to the newspaper.

It points out that a company with 750 employees, the majority of which incur travel and entertainment costs in Switzerland, expects average per capita expenses of CHF733.

The private sector figures are based on estimates by business software company SORECO. which operates a digital tool for expense management in Swiss enterprises.

The SonntagsBlick examined the expenses of all seven federal departments. The survey excluded the courts and the Federal Council.