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Essential reading: Six articles to help explain life in Switzerland

Here we've gathered together some of the most popular and useful articles from recent weeks, which we think will help explain aspects of day-to-day life in Switzerland.

Published: 21 December 2019 11:00 CET
Essential reading: Six articles to help explain life in Switzerland
Photo: Gustavo/Depositphotos

We’ve put together a little extra reading featuring popular articles focused on living in Switzerland.

Languages

What percentage of people in Switzerland can speak three national languages fluently? How many native English speakers are there in the country? And what exactly is Romansh?

Here’s what you need to know about languages in Switzerland

File photo: Deposit Photos

Working in Switzerland

What are the positives and negatives of working in Switzerland and what should foreigners really concentrate on when it comes to finding that elusive job? Here, our readers explain.

We asked our readers to tell us what they love about working in Switzerland, what they find difficult and what their advice is for newcomers to the Swiss job market. 

What it’s really like working in Switzerland?

File photo: Deposit Photos

Cost of living

Switzerland is expensive: there’s no nice way to say it. But, like everywhere, it depends on where you live and what you do. Here the people at Studying in Switzerland provide a round-up of the sort of costs you can expect for everything from food to travel and insurance.

Everything you need to know about the cost of living in Switzerland

File photo: Deposit Photos

Swiss bureaucracy

From residence permits to health insurance cards, we look at the documents that every foreigner in Switzerland must be aware of.

Bureaucracy in Switzerland: Seven essential documents you need to know aboutSwiss bureaucracy: 7 essential documents you need to know about

File photo: Depositphotos

Cantons

Cantons play a hugely important role in Swiss life and you will have to deal with cantonal authorities at some stage if you live in Switzerland. But what exactly do they do and what powers do they have?

EXPLAINED: Why Switzerland’s cantons are so powerfulExplained: Why Switzerland's cantons are so powerful

 File photo: Depositphotos

Health

If you move to Switzerland, chances are you will need to take out compulsory basic health insurance within three months. There is no ‘free’ public healthcare in Switzerland and you will have to pay your compulsory premiums out of your own pocket.

From choosing a provider to options for supplementary private cover, The Local outlines the basics of health insurance in Switzerland.

What you need to know before you take out Swiss health insurance

What you need to know before you take out Swiss health insurance

File photo: Depositphotos

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QUALITY OF LIFE

‘Pleasantly constant’: Why Switzerland ranks as the ‘world’s best country’ — again

For the sixth time, Switzerland wins the coveted title of the world’s top country in an international ranking. Why does the nation make it to the no.1 spot —time after time?

Published: 6 September 2023 11:31 CEST
'Pleasantly constant': Why Switzerland ranks as the 'world’s best country' — again

It’s official: Switzerland has been ranked ahead of 87 other countries analysed by the US News & World Report for its 2023 ranking, which was released on Wednesday morning. 

It is the sixth time that Switzerland tops the rankings, which measure a country’s global performance based on 73 categories. They include entrepreneurship; quality of life; adaptability and progress; social purpose; and other attributes listed here. 

What exactly makes Switzerland the best in the world?

The country “snags the top spot for business-friendliness and education, “and ranks in the top 10 for quality of life, social purpose and cultural influence,” according to study authors. “Among attributes, it was considered No.1 for being economically stable, safe and least corrupt.”

“And while people may not see it as the sexiest place, they would like to live there.”

One of Switzerland’s top qualities, the study showed, is ‘consistency.’

Unlike the political and economic volatility of many other countries, “there is something pleasantly constant about Switzerland,” the survey found.

It is true that change of any kind is slow to come here.

Part of the reason for this sluggishness is cultural: the Swiss don’t like spontaneity (unless it’s planned) or doing anything on a whim. 

They believe that rushing things and making hasty decisions will have disastrous results, which is why they prefer to take a cautious — even if painstakingly slow — path.

As a general rule, the Swiss have a penchant not only for planning, but for pre-planning as well. They like to thoroughly examine each aspect of a proposed change and look at it from all possible angles.

Another reason (besides the cultural one mentioned above) contributes to Switzerland’s notorious slowness in decision-making — the country’s political system.

Due to Switzerland’s decentralised form of government, the Federal Council must consult with cantons before a decision can be made at the national level.

That, as you can imagine, could take a while as each of the 26 cantons may drag their individual feet, and there could be no consensus among them.

READ ALSO : Why are things so slow to change in Switzerland? 

While some may see this ‘consistency’ as a negative, the US News & World Report considers it to be a definite plus.

How did Switzerland rank in major categories?

‘Open for business’

In this category, the country is in the first place (100 points out of 100).

Simply, this means  the country  is ‘business friendly’ because the government has created a good environment for businesses to thrive. 

“Switzerland has low unemployment, a skilled labour force and one of the highest gross domestic products per capita in the world,” the report relates. 

‘Educated population’

Here, too, Switzerland excels (100 points, first place).

Switzerland not only has an excellent and accessible education system, but according to Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), well over 80 percent of the country’s population have an upper secondary education or above.

This proportion is higher than the OECD average of 75 percent.

READ ALSO: How can foreigners get into a Swiss university?

‘Quality of life’

Here, Switzerland also got a high score ( 96.7), which places it in the fourth place.

This particular category, which includes essentials such as broad access to food, housing, quality education, healthcare, and employment, also comprises “intangibles such as job security, political stability, individual freedom and environmental quality.”

This is not exactly a surprise, as Switzerland often ranks highly in this category in other international surveys as well. 

In which categories does Switzerland rate poorly?

‘Power’

Switzerland’s score here is 26, which lands it in the 20th place.

But this is actually good news, if you consider criteria for this category:

“The world’s most powerful countries also are the ones that consistently dominate news headlines, preoccupy policymakers and shape global economic patterns. Their foreign policies and military budgets are tracked religiously.”

Needless to say, Switzerland has no interest in wielding global power.

Besides (unintentionally) invading neighbouring Liechtenstein on three occasions, Switzerland is not at all power-hungry.

This is not only because it is neutral, but also because its politics is based on peaceful coexistence.

(The number 1 spot in this category was snagged, not surprisingly, by the United States).

‘Movers’

This too is not a major surprise, since the sub-category here is ‘dynamic’, for which Switzerland was given a low score of 29.1.

The country did a bit better in the ‘distinctive’ and ‘unique’ sub-category, with scores of 43.5 and 42.1, respectively.

Overall, Switzerland is in the 26th place.

You can see details of each category here.

What is the Swiss reaction to the report?

Overwhelmingly positive, of course.

“What people love about us is our reliability and our predictability,” said Jacques Pitteloud, the Swiss ambassador to the U.S.

“With us, you know what you get, which is rare nowadays,” Alexandre Edelmann, head of Presence Switzerland, a government agency that promotes the country abroad, pointed out.

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