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THE WEEK IN SWITZERLAND

Five big news stories from Switzerland you need to know about this week

Highest paid jobs, and a new questionnaire providing information about naturalisations, are among the Swiss news The Local reported this week. You can catch up on everything in this weekly roundup.

Published: 2 February 2024 16:27 CET
Five big news stories from Switzerland you need to know about this week
Dashing down the snowy slope: this is what February is about. Image by Oleksandr Pyrohov from Pixabay

Where can Switzerland’s employees earn most money right now?

The answer to this question comes from new data compiled by Michael Page, a Switzerland-based recruitment consultant firm.

Its ‘Salary Guide 2024’ covers over 550 job types across 15 key sectors, so it is a comprehensive work-related resource. 

The agency found that jobs in IT and digital marketing “showed the highest increases” in salaries — 6 to 10 percent more over the last 12 months.

READ ALSO: Which sectors and jobs in Switzerland are seeing the biggest salary hikes? 

Swiss regions where English language is common (though not official!)

English is not one of Switzerland’s four official languages,  but in certain regions of the country it is more common than in others.

Newly released research shines a light on the canton with the highest proportion of people who use English as their primary language. (Hint: it starts with a letter ‘Z’, but it’s not Zurich).

READ ALSO: The Swiss canton where English is spoken the most 
 
From ski passes to safety: What you should know before you hit the slopes

February is a traditional ‘family ski’ month in Switzerland, when tens of thousands of people pack up their cars and head for mountain resorts.

But before you and your family head for the slopes, there is a number of useful things you should know.

They range from avoiding traffic jams, various types of ski passes, as well as how to be prepared for the worst-case scenario: injuries.
 
READ ALSO: What you should know about skiing in the Swiss Alps this winter

New online tool provides information on the naturalisation process

If you are wondering whether you are eligible to apply for the facilitated procedure to obtain Swiss citizenship, you can now find the answer online.

The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) has just launched the pilot phase of its ‘naturalisation self-check’ — a simple questionnaire that will provide this information.

READ ALSO: What is the new ‘self-check’ for Swiss citizenship and who is it for?

New government study shows the extent of racism in Switzerland

Even though the majority of Swiss population are not racist, a number of foreigners, people with migration background, and ethnic minorities report instances of racial discrimination they experienced in the past five years.

Now a new report reveals in what areas racism is most prevalent and what form it takes.

READ ALSO: Are foreigners in Switzerland likely to experience some form of racism?

And also…

The month of February is still very young. If you are wondering what lies ahead for the remaining 27 days of the month, you can find all the answers here:

READ ALSO: Everything that changes in Switzerland in February 2024
 
 

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For members

THE WEEK IN SWITZERLAND

Six big news stories from Switzerland you need to know about this week

The slowness of Switzerland's trains and salaries of foreign workers are among the Swiss news The Local reported this week. You can catch up on everything in this weekly roundup.

Published: 17 May 2024 11:16 CEST
Six big news stories from Switzerland you need to know about this week

Swiss trains are on time, but slowly

Although Switzerland has a punctual and efficient train system, it is also the slowest in Europe.

The existing infrastructure is not adapted to faster trains, because it is not a top priority for the national railway company (SBB) or the Federal Office of Transport, both of which favour reliability and quality of service over speed.

They also prefer to focus on developing a dense network; this means trains can’t travel fast as they have to make frequent stops at all stations.

READ ALSO: Why are Swiss trains the slowest in Europe?

Are foreign workers in Switzerland underpaid?

Many people think so, but it turns out that highly-qualified foreign nationals employed in managerial roles not only earn as much as their Swiss counterparts, but sometimes even more.
 
This is what emerges from an analysis of data released by the Federal Statistical Office.

It indicates that wages of  B, C, and G-permit holders often exceed those earned by Swiss citizens employed in equivalent positions.

READ ALSO: In which jobs in Switzerland do foreign workers earn more than the Swiss?

Could Switzerland be ready to recognise non-binary status?

Switzerland recognises only two genders: male and female.

But what about people who don’t identify as either?

After a non-binary person, Nemo, who is from Switzerland, won the Eurovision Song Contest last weekend, questions  are arising about the country’s readiness to start registering a third gender in the civil status register.

Such a change, however, would require numerous adaptations of the Constitution, as well as federal and cantonal laws.

READ ALSO: Could Switzerland officially recognise a third gender status?

Knife attack leaves several injured 

A 43-year-old Spaniard, attacked people on the streets of Zofingen with several knives on Wednesday night before being arrested.

In a statement, the public prosecutor’s office for the canton of Aargau said the man “probably inflicted wounds on himself and, according to initial findings, displays abnormal psychological behaviour.”

Prosecutors added that there was “no evidence of a terrorist motive” and that an investigation “for multiple attempted murders” was opened.

Armed with “sharpened or pointed” metal weapons, the attacker first lashed out at a passer-by at the railway station in the town of 12,000 people, about 60 kilometres (38 miles) west of Zurich, police said.

He then wounded several people seemingly at random before entering a house, police added.

READ ALSO: Man wounds six in knife attacks in Swiss town

Health insurance may pay for glasses and contact lenses

Right now, some complementary plans cover part of the cost of eyeglasses, but the obligatory insurance (KVG / LaMAL) doesn’t.

However, a parliamentary motion seeks to change that.

“The purpose of compulsory health insurance is to provide the services you need to get or stay healthy,” said Green Party MP Katharina Prelicz-Huber.”

This issue will be debated during the summer session to begin on May 27, but it already faces some ipposition from a right-wing Swiss People Party,  which argues that “if we seriously want to slow down the burdensome and constantly rising health costs for the benefit of the population, we [must] show the political will not to constantly expand the benefits of compulsory health insurance.”

READ ALSO: Could glasses and contact lenses soon be covered by Swiss health insurance?
 
Where in Switzerland do the motorists need to play toll?

While the motorway vignette replaces the obligation to pay toll on most Switzerland’s roads, a few Alpine tunnels still require drivers to pay a fee.

However, despite some recent media speculation, the Federal Council has opposed the idea of introducing further tolls on the Gotthard and San Bernardino tunnels, since both are public roads already funded by taxpayers’ money.

Instead, other strategies are currently being explored to combat the ongoing problem of traffic congestion o those much-frequented roads.

READ ALSO: The roads and tunnels in Switzerland where drivers need to pay a toll 

And also:

If you are a fan of J.R.R. Tolken’s “Lord of the Rings,” you may be interested to know it was inspired by the author’s visit, in 1911, to a village of Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland.

Tourists are still swarming the picturesque village, which prompted local officials to suggest imposing ‘entry fee’ ranging from 5 to 10 francs on visitors arriving by car:

READ ALSO: Stunning Swiss village plans to charge visitors to experience ‘Middle Earth

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