Tag Archives: 3) Swiss Markets and News

In many places one language is all that is required at work. In Switzerland, 37.7% of workers surveyed reported regularly using two or more languages at work, according to data published by the Federal Statistical Office on 6 September 2022. Photo by fauxels on Pexels.comWhile 62.3% used only one language at work, 22.2% regularly used two and 15.5% used three or more. These figures are somewhat boosted by a linguistic quirk of Switzerland. In the majority...

Keystone / Jens Buettner The Swiss company behind the Russian gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 has received a four-month extension to try to repay its debts. The Zug cantonal court in Switzerland, where Nord Stream 2 AG is headquartered, granted the company a second extension, according to an entry in the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce published on Thursday. The firm has until January 10, 2023 to turn things around and avoid bankruptcy proceedings. In May, the court...

Switzerland has returned as a popular destination for foreigners looking for work after two years of Covid-19 restrictions. Over 75,000 people have immigrated to Switzerland so far in 2022, driven largely by an economic boom and unemployment levels falling to a 20-year low. Alexander Thoele began working for SWI swissinfo.ch in 2002. He is of German and Brazilian origin. He was born in Rio de Janeiro and completed studies in journalism and computer science in...

“You cannot say we have passed the zenith and now it is certainly heading lower,” Swiss National Bank President Thomas Jordan told a Finanz and Wirtschaft financial conference on Thursday. © Keystone / Anthony Anex The president of the Swiss National Bank (SNB), Thomas Jordan, says the inflation outlook is more uncertain than normal and it is premature to say prices have peaked. “You cannot say we have passed the zenith and now it is certainly heading lower,”...

© Keystone / Gaetan Bally Switzerland has a social security network that covers risks in many areas – work, health, family and old age. The Swiss social security system cannot be easily compared with that found in other countries, as it comprises a variety of insurance schemes with very different mechanisms. Its funding is characterised by a relatively low use of tax revenues, a focus on individual pension plans, and the influence of private institutions....

Consumer spending continued to rise in the spring, but may dampen as the price of goods picks up. © Keystone / Christian Beutler Switzerland’s economic output slowed to 0.3% between April and the end of June, compared to the first quarter of the year. The manufacturing, construction, trade and financial services sectors all showed signs of weakening in the face of energy shortages and rising inflation. The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) reported a...

Car sharing firm Mobility is providing 50 Honda electric cars for this innovative project. © Keystone / Christian Beutler An innovative pilot project testing the potential of electric cars to stabilise the power grid has been launched in Switzerland. For one year, the power of 50 electric vehicles will be fed back into the grid from their batteries when they are not running, car-sharing company Mobility which leads the project said on Tuesday. The “V2X Switzerland”...

The company has faced a string of scandals and mounting legal costs. It is currently undergoing what it calls a transition phase with a new CEO. © Keystone / Melanie Duchene Embattled Swiss bank Credit Suisse is planning to cut around 10% of its workforce as part of a major cost cutting drive, according to several media reports. Reuters reported on Thursday that someone with direct knowledge of the matter indicated that 5,000 positions are expected to be slashed,...

© Bartolomiej Pietrzyk | Dreamstime.com Switzerland’s Gross domestic product (GDP) grew 4.2% in 2021, according to recently released data by Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO). The increase follows a decrease of -2.4% in 2020, a year marking the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Thanks to this upswing, GDP in 2021 was above the level of 2019, although some areas of the Swiss economy, such as hospitality, continued to suffer from the pandemic. Gross...

On 31 August 2022, Switzerland’s federal government launched its campaign to cut energy consumption to reduce the risks of an energy shortfall over the coming winter. Photo by Castorly Stock on Pexels.comThe government stressed that there was currently no energy shortfall. However, Simonetta Sommaruga, the minister in charge of energy, said it was important to cut energy consumption to avoid the risk of forced cuts. An energy cut of a few weeks could cost the Swiss...