Tag Archives: Personal finance

Swiss healthcare is typically ranked the world’s second most expensive, as a percentage of GDP, after the US. © Tero Vesalainen | Dreamstime.comIn Switzerland, compulsory health insurance premiums cover 37% of healthcare costs. Much of the rest is covered by tax payers and non-reimbursable out-of-pocket payments by individuals. As part of a plan to reduce costs, this week, the health insurer Groupe Mutuel, launched a new lower cost plan which requires its clients to go to the...

In a recent comparison of taxi fares across Europe, Geneva and Zurich were the most expensive. © Corepics Vof | Dreamstime.com In the study, which focused on the total cost of a taxi journey from the airport to the centre of town, Geneva (€36 – CHF40) and Zurich (€63 – CHF70) fared better than Milan (€105) and London (€104), which had the highest total journey costs. However, this is only because Zurich and Geneva airports are close to the city centre. The...

In a recent comparison of taxi fares across Europe, Geneva and Zurich were the most expensive. ©  Corepics Vof | Dreamstime.comIn the study, which focused on the total cost of a taxi journey from the airport to the centre of town, Geneva (€36 – CHF40) and Zurich (€63 – CHF70) fared better than Milan (€105) and London (€104), which had the highest total journey costs. However, this is only because Zurich and Geneva airports are close to the city centre. The per-kilometre taxi costs in...

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...

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...

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. The EUR/CHF exchange rate reached 1.097 on 24 July 2019, a rate not seen since early 2017. Source: Valeriya Potapova - Click to enlarge 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...

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...

Paradeplatz Zurich_© Denis Linine _ Dreamstime.com 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. The data presents rental prices for a 70 square metre three-room apartment. The most expense location in Switzerland is...

© motortion | Dreamstime.com The Swiss government has been looking at measures to shore up the finances of Switzerland’s pension system for some time. The 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...