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TODAY IN SWITZERLAND

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

Switzerland is European employment champion; EasyJet to inaugurate more flights from Swiss airports; and more news in our roundup on Wednesday.

Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
EasyJet will fly to more destinations from Swiss airports. Photo by Pau BARRENA / AFP

No other European country creates as many jobs as Switzerland

More than half of companies in Switzerland plan to increase their workforce over the next three months — the highest rate in Europe.

This what emerges from a survey carried out by Manpower recruitment agency.

The energy and utilities sectors are among the drivers of this growth: 66 percent of companies in this sector plan to hire more staff in the coming months.

And the hiring trend is spilling over into the financial sector as well — despite the loss of jobs after  the merger of Credit Suisse and UBS.

That’s because “the merger of the banks requires an enormous amount of resources and know-how, particularly in IT,” according to Eric Jeannerod, manager of Manpower Switzerland.

EasyJet announces five new routes from Switzerland

The low-cost airline will launch five new destinations from Switzerland for the end of the year.

From November 4th, there will be four weekly flights between Zurich and Manchester.

On November 7th, two weekly flights will be inaugurared between Zurich and Bordeaux, as well as between Basel and London Luton, four times a week.

From Geneva, twice weekly flights to Tromsø in Norway will begin on December 5th, and  from January 18th, EasyJet will fly from Geneva to Leeds / Bradford, twice a week.

Tickets for the new flights are available from this week.

More young women in Switzerland have higher qualifications than men

New data released by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) on Tuesday is a boost to gender equality: it shows that the share of university graduates among 25-34 year olds is now higher among women (53 percent) than among men (50 percent).

Since 2000, the level of higher education in Switzerland has risen considerably, but the increase is greater among women than among their male counterparts, according to FSO.

 Swiss residents spend more than their neighbours on summer vacations

The average budget that Swiss households devote to summer vacations this year is 4,041 francs, according to a HelloSafe price comparison platform — an increase of 21.1 percent over 2023.

This is the highest budget in Europe.

As a comparison, French households set aside 2,100 francs (converted from euros) for their holidays.

If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at news@thelocal.ch
 

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TODAY IN SWITZERLAND

Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Friday

Basel MPs in favour of voting rights for their foreigners; trains will soon roll through the Gotthard tunnel again; and other Swiss news in our roundup on Friday.

Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Friday

Basel parliament supports voting rights for foreigners

Foreign nationals with a residence permit, who have lived in Basel-City for at least five years, should be able to vote in the canton, the parliament decided on Thursday by 53 votes to 41.

The reason for this move is that 38 percent of adult Basel-City population are foreign nationals, who are not allowed to have a say in local political matters.

As in similar moves in other cantons, most recently Geneva, it will be up to voters to have the last word on this matter when a referendum on this issue is held — at as yet undetermined date. 

Gotthard tunnel to reopen on September 2nd

After being mostly closed to rail traffic by a derailment in August 2023, the Gotthard base tunnel will be fully operational again from September 2nd, Swiss national railway company, SBB, said in a press release on Thursday.

By that date, trains between German-speaking Switzerland and Ticino will resume at the same frequency as before.

Additionally, direct trains from Switzerland to Bologna and Genoa; the Eurocity on the Basel–Lucerne–Milan line; as well as the Frankfurt–Zurich–Milan connection, will be in service.

“Travelers will once again be able to travel from Zurich to Lugano in less than two hours, one hour less than via the current alternative routes,” the SBB said.

On the other hand…

Zermatt remains closed to train traffic

The damage on the Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn railway line caused by recent thunderstorms and flooding, turned out to be more extensive than originally thought.

Repair work, especially between Täsch and Zermatt will take several weeks, which means there is no way to get to the famous resort, which is car-free, by train in the immediate future.

However, replacement buses will run regularly between Täsch (where private vehicles should be parked) and the village of Zermatt in the meantime.

Rich French are eyeing Switzerland as a refuge for their money

Wealthy French citizens are reportedly afraid of the impact that early legislative elections in France — the first round of which takes place on June 30th — will have on their assets.

To them (as for countless other rich foreigners), Switzerland is a safe haven for their money.

“We are seeing strong demand from French people who are worried about political instability and who say they are looking for security for their savings,” said Arthur Jurus, head of investment at ODDO BHF private bank. 

He and other experts point out, however, that as Switzerland is not a ‘tax haven’ (despite some misconceptions to the contrary), any foreign funds deposited in its banks will be declared to French authorities, as both countries are bound by the ‘automatic exchange of information on financial accounts’ agreement to ensure tax transparency. 

If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at news@thelocal.ch

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