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Zurich news roundup: More foreign residents than ever and bus and tram services to be cut

From a new study revealing that Zurich's international population grew more than ever this year, to reduced services on some of the city's public transport from January, here's The Local's weekly news roundup for Switzerland's biggest city.

Published: 9 December 2022 15:33 CET
An aerial view of Zurich.
An aerial view of Zurich. Image by Hebi B. from Pixabay

Zurich’s international population climbs to record high

A study by the municipal statistical office, as reported in Neue Zuricher Zeitung (NZZ) on Sunday, revealed that more foreigners moved to Zurich in 2022 than ever before.

30,000 foreign nationals have settled in the city in 2022, beating its 2007 record of 28,500 new arrivals from abroad.

Most of the new arrivals have come from the EU – mostly from Germany (4,363) followed by Italy (2,233), Spain (1,216), and France (1,167). 2,742 Ukranian refugees have also relocated to the city this year.

READ ALSO: IN NUMBERS: Zurich’s foreign population climbs to record high

Three-quarters of newly arrived foreigners are under that age of 40 and most of them are highly qualified, and have a bachelor’s degree or higher university education. Interestingly, for the German-speaking city, 12 percent of these arrivals said they mainly use English as their daily language.

Though 2022 marks a high point in the influx of immigrants for Zurich – the number of foreign nationals has been growing steadily for decades and is now more than twice as high as it was 60 years ago.

Reduced bus and tram services from January
 
At its annual media conference on Tuesday, the Zurich Transport Authority (VBZ)  announced that some tram and bus lines will run at a reduced schedule early next year, due to illness-related absences and worker shortages. 

The changes will go into effect on January 9th, 2023 and last until spring.

READ ALSO: Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday

Among the affected routes will be tram lines 15 and 17, with the former being suspended altogether, while the latter will run only until 8:30 pm from Monday to Saturday and not at all on Sunday.
 
Reduced schedule is also planned for bus lines 32, 40, 61, 62, 66, and 89.

 “The VBZ regret these adjustments to the schedule and are doing everything in their power to correct the situation,” the company said.

VBZ have introduced the limitations in attempt to keep services running on schedule and to reduce unforseen cancellations. The company said that it has already stepped up its recruitment drive and has introduced further measures to improve the situation next year.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How Swiss public transport tickets are going digital

VBZ recommends that passengers use the online timetable at www.vbz.ch or the ZVV app to help plan their journeys. 

Launch of light railway line between Zurich Altstetten and Killwangen-Spreitenbach

After two referendums and five years of construction, the light railway west of Zurich is ready for takeoff this weekend.

The Limmattalbahn light railway, which will connect Zurich Altstetten and Killwangen-Spreitenbach, will officially go into service on Sunday, December 11th.

The new railroad, which cost 700 million Swiss Francs, is intended to absorb the additional traffic in the Limmat Valley, which has grown rapidly in terms of population in recent years. 

Heads of Zurich Department of Justice not responsible for data leaks

Last week, several Swiss media outlets reported on leaks of sensitive data from the Zurich Department of Justice between 2006 to 2012.

For years, it emerged, the Zurich Department of Justice had inadequately cleared hard drives which were disposed of after criminal investigations, which led to private data ending up in the hands of criminals in the drug and prostitution business in the city.

The lost information included psychiatric reports, dangerousness reports, mobile phone numbers of police officers and public prosecutors as well as data from the police and justice centres.

READ ALSO: A foreigner’s guide to understanding Swiss politics in five minutes

On Tuesday, the preliminary findings of an external investigation cleared the current heads of the Justice Department, but noted that the way in which the hard drives of the computers were disposed of was “unprofessional, careless and possibly criminally reprehensible”. The cantonal justice minister, Jacqueline Fehr, told the media on Tuesday: “It should never have taken place in this way”.

A criminal investigation is now underway and, for the time being, many questions remain open about the amount of leaked data and its sensitivity.

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LIVING IN SWITZERLAND

The Zurich paradox: Why is world’s most expensive city also the best to live in?

Can residents of Switzerland’s largest city really be happy, considering its higher-than-elsewhere cost of living?

Published: 15 April 2024 12:16 CEST
The Zurich paradox: Why is world's most expensive city also the best to live in?

In the latest quality of life report from the European Commission, Zurich has beat, fair and square, 82 cities across the EU, European Free Trade Association (EFTA) – that is, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein – the United Kingdom, the Western Balkans, and Turkey.

The survey found that majority of Zurich residents are happy with their jobs, public transport, healthcare services, air quality, and their financial situation.

The city also offers the best quality of life for older people and the LGBTQ+ community in all of Europe.

While Zurich is not exactly a stranger to such accolades, having won similar titles before, it has not consistently scored high marks in all surveys.

On the contrary, for several years in a row, including in 2023, Zurich was ranked the world’s most expensive city in the Economist magazine’s Cost of Living index. Once the 2024 figures are released later in the year, it is a safe bet that Zurich will be at, or near, the top again.

This brings up a question of how a city (or a country) can be “best” and “worst” at the same time.

Not a major issue

Every second year, Zurich municipal authorities conduct a survey among the local population about what they like and dislike about the life in their city.

In the last such survey, published in December 2023, city residents mentioned such downsides as shortage of affordable housing and traffic congestion but, interestingly, the notoriously high cost of living was not cited as a huge concern. 

One reason may be high wages. 

Based on data from the Federal Statistical Office, a median monthly wage in the city is 8,000 francs – about 1,300 francs more than the already high median Swiss salary.

You may argue that the high salaries don’t necessarily compensate for high prices.

However, a new study shows that the purchasing power in Zurich is quite high.
 
With 57,771 francs of disposable income per capita, Zurich’s purchasing power is among the highest in the country, exceeding the national average of 50,000 francs (which, in itself, is higher than elsewhere).

READ ALSO: Where in Switzerland does your money go further? 

Of course, this is the case of the 50 percent of the population that earn upwards of the median wage; for the other half, the quality of life probably isn’t as high.

Assuming, then, that the surveys are carried out mostly among residents with decent salaries, their assessments of life in Zurich will be mostly positive.

The link between wealth and quality of life

Consider this domino effect:

The more people earn and the more income tax they pay (although Zurich’s rate is not Switzerland’s highest), the more money there will be in public coffers to spend on infrastructure, public transport, health services, school system, recreational activities, parks and green spaces, and all the other “perks” that contribute to the city’s quality-of-life ranking.

In other words, good life comes at a price, even though – in Zurich’s case – it is a high one.

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