Author: switzerlandtimes.ch

This week, modelling published by the Zurich Office for Economic Affairs, shows a significant shortage of workers emerging in the canton by 2050. Within 25 years, Zurich will have tens of thousands of workers less than it needs, despite a growing population. The modelling shows that as more people retire from the workforce than enter it, a gap will open up. According to the authors, immigration will not solve the problem because the shift will be too fast and too significant. In 60 years, birth rates in the canton have dropped from 2.7 to 1.3. By the 2040s, those born…

This week, the Green Party and the environmental group actif-trafiC announced they had gathered enough signatures to trigger a vote to overturn a government decision to cut subsidies for overnight trains. Together, they presented 58,640 signatures to officials in Bern. In Switzerland, a referendum can be called to overturn a government decision if at least 50,000 valid signatures are collected. By contrast, for votes aiming to initiate a change, the minimum number of signatures is 100,000. In October, the Federal Council announced a decision to axe a CHF 30 million annual subsidy to support the operation of night trains between…

This week, the shut down of The Body Shop in Switzerland was announced, reported SRF. The brand’s 33 remaining shops will close in May 2025. The Body Shop Switzerland is a franchise owned and operated by the Coop supermarket group. Coop has said that it will not extend the franchise contract, which ends in May 2025. The Body Shop brand’s market positioning is no longer unique, said the group. The Body Shop, which was founded in 1976 in Brighton, England has been struggling for years. It has been sold several times, and in many countries it has faced bankruptcy. Anita…

The canton of Zug recently tightened its citizenship laws. Since 1 January 2025, the rules for applying to become Swiss in the canton are more strict. In the months before these changes came into force, the number of applications skyrocketed, reported RTS. The requirements for becoming Swiss have federal, cantonal and municipal elements. This means that citizenship is easier to obtain in some parts of Switzerland than in others. The cost of applying also vary, often significantly. The canton of Zug has raised the citizenship bar in three areas. The first relates to welfare. Previously, applicants had to have not…

Across Switzerland, there were 0.49 serious car accident per 10,000 residents involving alcohol in 2023, reported Touring Club Switzerland (TCS). However, some cantons had rates well above this average, with the canton of Geneva in the lead. In 2023, there were 1.09 serious car accident per 10,000 residents involving alcohol in Geneva, a number more than double the Swiss average (0.49). The canton has seen a consistent rise in serious alcohol related accidents since 2017. There were 0.76, 0.81, 1.00, 1.01, 0.95 and 1.04 serious alcohol-related accidents in Geneva in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 respectively. In 2023,…

A poll published on 20 December 2024 suggests next February’s referendum on the environment is likely to fail, reported RTS. The initiative is vague, however, it aims to reduce economic activity and consumption to a level that allows the environment to regenerate back to its natural level. The natural resources used and the pollution emitted by economic activity should not exceed the capacity of nature to regenerate. The plan does not set out concrete measures on how to achieve this, but requires it to be achieved within 10 years. A survey run by gfs.bern shows that 49% support the initiative.…

Since the beginning of the year, a new step has been added to buying fresh fruit and vegetables in Swiss supermarkets. Previously, the produce went on the scales, the relevant number was entered, a button pushed, and a price sticker produced. Now there’s an extra step: a bag choice must be made. What is going on? Swiss broadcaster RTS asked some supermarket customers about the change. Most seemed slightly confused by the question and thought the change might be an ecological initiative aimed at reducing the use of single-use paper and plastic bags. More attentive customers could quickly rule out…

Swiss authorities have been working hard to get more Ukrainian refugees off welfare and into work. They set a target of 40% by the end of 2024. However, their efforts have come up short. Only 29% of those of working age are in work, according to the latest data. This figure stands in contrast to the Czech Republic where the rate is 75%. When Czech president Petr Pavel visited Switzerland late last year he said that perhaps working in Switzerland might be too unattractive and the welfare system too generous. Perhaps. But there are many other reasons for the difference,…

Since 2015, around 11,000 public car park spaces have been removed in cities and large towns across Switzerland, according to recent analysis reported by Tages Anzeiger. More than 3,000 parking places have been removed in both Geneva and in Zurich, more than 2,500 in Lausanne, nearly 1,500 in Basel and around 1,300 in Bern. Cities in French-speaking Switzerland have seen the greatest decline in percentage terms. Geneva and Lausanne have both seen more than 10% of their public parking spaces removed since 2015. Geneva has lost 13% and plans to take away a further 12,000 places by 2034. Lausanne has…

Swiss broadcaster RTS recently had 13 brands of bottled water sold in Switzerland tested for trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). 10 of the 13 tested positive. TFA is widely used in the pesticide, pharmaceutical and electronics industries. TFA belongs to a family of chemicals known as PFAS, chemicals that take a very long time to break down, which are often referred to as forever chemicals. Of the 13 bottled waters tested, only Cristallo, Denner and Saskia brands contained less than the 0.1 micrograms per litre testable limit. The other 10 all had detectable levels of TFA. Aquata, Evian and Saguaro had concentrations…