Author: switzerlandtimes.ch

At the end of 2023, more than 8.9 million people lived in Switzerland, rising by 147,000 (1.7%) across the year, reported the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). The population rose in all cantons, driven by high levels of immigration, particularly from Ukraine. The last time Switzerland’s population rose so fast was in 1960, wrote FSO. The figures include all residents, which is defined as those living in the country for more than one year. A large proportion of the refugees from Ukraine had been living in Switzerland for more than a year by the end of 2023. This boosted the resident…

Insurance companies use customer data to estimate the risk of an accident and calculate a price for covering that risk. Any discernable attribute that correlates with differences in risk can help to make pricing more accurate. The age and gender of the driver, where they live and the vehicle they drive are the key factors for generalising about risk. A driver’s nationality is another data point that can make a big difference to the cost of vehicle insurance in Switzerland, according to a survey published this week by Comparis. Some foreign nationals in Switzerland pay significantly more for their car…

Switzerland is no stranger to violent storms, which sometime come out of nowhere when hiking in the mountains. According to experts, most people struck by lightning survive. But the risks of suffering long term damage are high, reported SRF. The electricity discharged by lightning can be as high as 100,000 amperes, according to Christian Franck, a physicist at ETH Zurich. 100,000 amperes is thousands of times more than the current in a home wall socket. A direct hit is not required to get shocked by lightning. Someone can receive a shock from the ground around them if a lightning bolt…

This week, Switzerland’s Office of the Attorney General (OAG) announced it had fined and closed its criminal investigation against the mining company Glencore International AG. After a four year investigation, OAG closed its criminal investigation against the Swiss-based company and imposed a CHF 2 million fine for failing to take all necessary and reasonable organisational measures with regard to the bribery of foreign public officials in connection with the acquisition of stakes in two mining companies in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2011. The summary penalty order issued on 5 August 2024 holds Glencore criminally liable for failing…

In March 2024, 58% of voters voted in favour of paying an additional 13th month of state pension. That triggered a fierce debate on how to fund it. This week, Switzerland’s Federal Council said it planned to fund the increase with higher VAT with no rise in salary taxes. The news was delivered by Elisabeth Baume-Schneide, Switzerland’s minister of internal affairs, a role that covers pensions. The Federal Council’s argument for funding higher pensions entirely with a VAT increase is centred on ensuring that everyone, including pensioners contribute to their funding rather than increasing the burden more exclusively on those…

This week, a group in the Lake Geneva region against the federal government’s plan to expand key stretches of the A1 motorway in Switzerland, launched its campaign against the idea ahead of a vote on 24 November, reported RTS. The federal government recently announced a plan to add lanes to six stretches of Switzerland’s A1 motorway. Whenever the government accepts a plan a vote can be called if 50,000 signatures are collected. This happened in response to a federal government plan to expand sections of the nation’s main trunk route. The resulting referendum will be held on 24 November 2024.…

Last Sunday, a new temperature record was broken in Bisaca in the canton of Ticino. At 3:20 pm on 11 August 2024 the temperature reached an annual high of 36.3 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature ever recorded in the town, reported RTS. Temperatures reached uncomfortable levels in other parts of Switzerland too, hitting 35 degrees in parts of the canton of Valais. Recent high air temperatures are associated with high water temperatures. The mediterranean sea is unusually warm, as are Switzerland’s lakes. On 11 August 2024, the average temperature in the mediterranean reached 28.16 degrees, the highest recorded since measuring…

This week, an error was found in the government’s calculation of the future hole in state pension funding. While the error, which overstates the shortfall by CHF 4 billion, is substantial, it does not change the trend, according to Stéphane Rossini, head of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), reported RTS. The CHF 4 billion error is highly embarrassing for the government, which has used the figures to argue in favour of pension reform, including a successful referendum to lift the state retirement age for women to 65 in line with that of men. Since the mistake was discovered, the Green…

Thirty years ago, Switzerland introduced rules making it compulsory to wear seatbelts in any seat where seatbelts are fitted. This made wearing seatbelts in rear seats compulsory for the first time, reported RTS. Adding a requirement to wear rear seatbelts was met with little resistance. However, in 1980 when a referendum was run on whether to make wearing seat belts compulsory in Switzerland, 48.4% of voters were against the idea. And in July 1981, when the rules were introduced, compliance with the new law was comparatively low when compared to today. On 30 November 1980, 51.6% of the nation voted…

Switzerland’s economy grew slightly more than expected in the second quarter of 2024, reported SRF. Between April and June 2024, Gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 0.5%. A survey of economists had expected growth for the quarter to be between 0.2% and 0.4%. The biggest driver of growth during the quarter came from industry, which grew at a faster rate than the service economy. Second quarter growth (+0.5%) outstripped growth in the first quarter of 2024 (+0.3%) by 0.2 percentage points. The Q2 growth figures are not definitive. Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) provides early flash estimates, which…