Tag Archives: Swiss Markets and News

This will be the fourth attempt in two decades to reform the state pension system because of a structural deficit (Keystone) - Click to enlarge The Swiss government on Friday fixed the outlines of a new state pension reform plan, including raising VAT to fund it, and raising the retirement age for women from 64 to 65. The proposed reform is to be financed by an increase in VAT of up to 1.7%. Home Affairs Minister...

M Berset a présenté, ce 2 mars, les lignes directrices de sa réforme de l’AVS. Nous en retiendrons deux propositions phares. La première consiste à faire passer la TVA de 7,7% à 9,4%. M Berset impose une majoration de celle-ci de plus de 22%! L’information nous arrive au lendemain d’une annonce d’un excédent de 4,8 milliards de francs sur l’exercice 2017!  Deux milliards avaient été provisionnés pour l’impôt anticipé…....

The Swiss firm, Stadler Rail, has rejected reports that it signed off on a major infrastructure contract with Iran’s Industrial Development & Renovation Organization for 960 wagons for an underground railway system. The companyexternal link said there is no deal or decision but merely a public tender, according to SRF public radio. The details of the reported deal remain unclear (Keystone) - Click...

Vincenz built Raiffeisen up during his tenure as CEO (Keystone) - Click to enlarge Zurich prosecutors have opened criminal proceedings against the former chief executive of Swiss banking group Raiffeisen, Pierin Vincenz, looking into suspicions of misdealing. The bank has also joined the probe as a private complainant. “Raiffeisen is therefore making a maximum contribution to the complete clarification of...

Last April, hundreds of UN staff in Geneva from various agencies and services took part in a work stoppage over a proposed 8% cut to salaries (Keystone) - Click to enlarge Employees of the United Nations in Geneva are planning a half-day strike on Tuesday to protest against wage cuts. The work stoppage would take place during a busy week, with dozens of ministers and officials expected at various events. “We...

Mechanical industries like precision toolmaking are doing well lately. Photo taken at Feintool near Bern (© KEYSTONE / GAETAN BALLY) - Click to enlarge The Swiss mechanical, electrical and metal industries are recovering, as indicated by increases in turnover and employment. The industry lobby group Swissmemexternal link reported on Thursday that 4,500 additional jobs were generated in 2017 compared to the...

Companies in French-speaking Switzerland featured high up in the ranking. (Keystone) - Click to enlarge 23.3% of businesses in Switzerland did not pay their bills on time in 2017, found the business information service Bisnode D&Bexternal link in a survey published on Wednesday. That’s 0.3% less late-payers compared to 2016. The average delay of payments was also shorter in 2017, averaging 14.4 days,...

In the rental market, the construction of apartments remains “at a very high level” in Switzerland, the Credit Suisse economists wrote. (Keystone) - Click to enlarge The economic upturn should drive demand for Swiss property after a period of record construction and lower rental prices, a survey claims. The improved economic situation should “revive demand in all segments” of the Swiss housing market,...

Age discrimination in the Swiss job market appears to be getting worse. Between 2010 and 2016, the number of over 55s on welfare increased by 50.5%, something that cannot be fully explained by an aging population. The population aged between 56 and 64 only increased by 11.6% over the same period. © Sarah2 | Dreamstime.com - Click to enlarge Across the total population the number on welfare rose by around 10%, a far...

77% of expats in Zurich reported that their disposable income had increased since moving to Switzerland's largest city. (Keystone) - Click to enlarge Zurich and Geneva are among the top cities in the world for expat salaries, according to this year’s HSBC expat salary survey. The average expat can look forward to a pay packet of $206,875 (CHF191,960) in third-place Zurich and $184,942 in fifth-place...