Tag Archives: Business & Economy

Figures published by Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO) on 26 May 2023 show continued growth in the number of jobs in Switzerland. Photo by fauxels on Pexels.comAt the end of the first quarter of 2023, total employment was 2.2% higher than a year earlier and 0.6% higher than at the end of 2022. Companies in Switzerland reported a total of 7,100 (+5.9%) more vacancies than a year earlier and the employment outlook indicator remained positive, said the FSO. The number of...

On 18 June 2023, Swiss voters will choose whether to accept the government’s plan to raise company tax rates to a minimum of 15%. © Filmfoto | Dreamstime.comThe minimum 15% tax, which will apply to any company with annual revenues of Euro 750 million or more, has essentially been forced on Switzerland by the OECD as part of its plan to reduce global tax competition. Nations with low tax rates are able to increase their tax bases by attracting foreign companies. But a tax base boost in...

This week, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) published its predictions and ambitions for electric transport infrastructure. Photo by Gustavo Fring on Pexels.comBy 2035, SFOE expects more than half of all passenger cars in Switzerland to be electric. This means the country has around 12 years to complete its charging infrastructure, it said. The SFOE study estimates there will be 2.8 million plug-in vehicles on Swiss roads by 2035, and by 2050 they should be...

This week, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) published its predictions and ambitions for electric transport infrastructure. Photo by Gustavo Fring on Pexels.comBy 2035, SFOE expects more than half of all passenger cars in Switzerland to be electric. This means the country has around 12 years to complete its charging infrastructure, it said. The SFOE study estimates there will be 2.8 million plug-in vehicles on Swiss roads by 2035, and by 2050 they should be the dominant type of...

Last week, Switzerland’s federal parliament voted in favour of adding an annual public holiday to celebrate democracy. This week, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), said the extra day off would cost the economy CHF 350 million, reported RTS. Photo by Miraze Dewan on Pexels.comThe CHF 350 million sum was calculated by comparing the GDP in years when Christmas falls on a Sunday to years when it doesn’t. However, the cost doesn’t not fall evenly on all businesses. A...

Many Swiss politicians and members of the public remain angry about the recent rushed government deal to head off the potential collapse of Credit Suisse. This week a majority of the National Council, Switzerland’s federal parliament, voted in favour of measures to reduce the risk systemic big banks pose to taxpayers, reported RTS. © Pincasso | Dreamstime.comSpearheaded by Prisca Birrer-Heimo, a member of the Socialist Party in Luzern, the National Council voted in favour of two changes....

A report published on 4 May 2023 cites land scarcity as the main reason behind Switzerland’s housing shortage. Photo by Max Rahubovskiy on Pexels.comIn the 20 years between 2001 and 2021 Switzerland’s population grew from 7.3 to 8.7 million, a rise of 1.4 million residents or 19%. And with annual net immigration of around 50,000, building enough homes to house everyone in Switzerland is an ongoing challenge. The survey, which aimed to understand the housing situation in cities and...

Data published this week by Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO) show no monthly inflation in April 2023. Photo by Michael Burrows on Pexels.comNo inflation in April shifted annual inflation from 2.9% in March to 2.6% in April 2023 as the monthly rise in prices in April 2022 fell out of the annual calculation to be replaced by zero monthly inflation in April 2023. Switzerland’s consumer price index (CPI) is an average and not everything remained at the same price level....

Switzerland’s strong currency and the widespread influence of the administration on many prices means the country has escaped much of the recent inflation afflicting many nations. But increasingly, inflation is entering the scene. This week, Swisscom announced it plans to change its general terms and conditions to make it possible to increase the price of existing contracts, reported RTS. © Marlon Trottmann | Dreamstime.comSwisscom recently warned customers that it was changing its terms...

According to a report published this week, 40% of employees in Switzerland are predicted to regularly work from home within the next 10 years. Photo by Justin Neal on Pexels.comIn 2001, less than 1% of Switzerland’s employees did more than half of their work from home. By 2019, the same figure was 25%. Then Covid-19 struck. During the first lockdown in spring of 2020, 50% of workers worked from home, 20% partially and 30% exclusively. Since then many have returned to the office. But...