Tag Archives: Business & Economy

Every year, Lausanne-based IMD business school publishes its global competitiveness ranking. Switzerland climbed from 5th last year to 4th behind Singapore, Hong Kong and the US. Venezuela (63rd) was last. © Bogdan Lazar | Dreamstime.com The ranking, established in 1989, incorporates 235 indicators and takes into account a wide range of “hard” statistics such as unemployment, GDP and government spending on health and education, as well as “soft” data from an survey of business leaders...

Many new to Switzerland are shocked by the prices of things. High Swiss prices have not gone unnoticed by locals either, many of whom shop in neighbouring countries to avoid them. © Tero Vesalainen | Dreamstime.com However, cross-border shopping hurts the environment – more time is spent in cars – and hurts local Swiss retailers. There are many reasons for Switzerland’s high prices. Among them is the relatively high wholesale prices some Swiss retailers are charged by importers, international...

Employees Switzerland, an organisation representing Swiss workers, is resigned to the idea of raising the retirement age, according to Swiss broadcaster RTS. © Olena Yakobchuk | Dreamstime.com Speaking to the newspaper NZZ am Sonntag, Stefan Studer, director of the association, said raising the retirement age is inevitable because of the financial difficulties facing Switzerland’s state pension system, known as the first pillar. “We must rethink the retirement age”, said Studer. He thinks we...

Last week, a crowd assembled in Bern outside Switzerland’s federal parliament building to protest the roll out of 5G mobile technology in Switzerland. © Tpibernik | Dreamstime.com Switzerland’s “Stop 5G” movement is demanding a halt to further roll out of the technology in Switzerland, a process already well underway. They are demanding a precautionary approach and further research into the health effects. Most scientists have failed to establish any health risks associated the radiation...

Some travelers on Swiss trains could be in for a shock. The price of a GA travel card, an annual pass that allows unlimited travel of the Swiss Rail network, might rise 10% in 2021, according to the newspaper Le Matin. © Man Nok Ip | Dreamstime.com Compared to the price of other passes and tickets, the AG pass is relatively good value, according to a leaked internal document written by CH-direct, a pricing association bringing together 250 Swiss public transport companies. The internal...

Last week, Antonio Hodgers, the head of Geneva’s executive, announced a ban on the erection of further 5G mobile antennas in the canton, according to an interview on RTS. © Tpibernik | Dreamstime.com Motivated by uncertainty on the potential health effects of the new technology, the temporary freeze is the most the cantonal government can do to stop the rollout of the technology. Switzerland’s federal government in Bern calls the shots when it comes to the overall plan on 5G rollout. The...

Non-smokers will soon be able to breathe easily while waiting for Swiss trains, according to the newspaper Le Matin. © Gordon Bell _ Dreamstime.com In 2005, it was still possible to smoke on Swiss trains in special smoking carriages. From 1 June 2019, it won’t even be possible to smoke on train platforms. Smokers will soon have to take their last quick puffs before they enter train stations. E-cigarettes are included in the new ban that follows smoke free platform tests at a number of Swiss...

Brought to you by Winbiz online accounting for Swiss businesses. A survey published this month shows that two thirds of Swiss companies find the administrative burden in Switzerland high or fairly high. © Ml12nan | Dreamstime.com Of the 2,042 companies surveyed in the autumn of 2018, 67.5% considered the burden of Swiss bureaucracy high or fairly high. The same percentage in 2014 was 66%. In addition, more companies felt the burden would rise. In 2018, 67% felt things would get worse,...

In 2019, Switzerland lost one place slipping from 5th to 6th place out of 180, according to the latest world ranking of press freedom by the organisation Reporters Without Borders. © Pavel Abramov | Dreamstime.com The change was largely driven by the stronger performance of Denmark, which moved up into 5th place. According to the report, the press in Switzerland continues to face economic pressure and to suffer from a worrying increase in ownership concentration linked to the digital...

A referendum aimed at rejecting changes to Swiss gun laws scheduled for 19 May 2019 could cause major disruption at airports in Zurich and Geneva if it succeeds, according to various newspapers. © Toxawww | Dreamstime.com If the vote is successful it might eventually lead to the exclusion of Switzerland from the Schengen area. If this happened, immigration staff at Swiss airports would need to check the passports of all those entering from and departing to other Schengen area countries. The...