Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday
Find out what's going on today in Switzerland with The Local's short roundup of the news.
A sign of pandemic’s end: reproduction rate falls below 1
One of the metrics that health experts use to determine whether the epidemiological situation is improving or deteriorating is the reproduction (“R”) rate.
It indicates how quickly the virus spreads through the population: if it exceeds 1, it means the number of cases keeps increasing. But if it falls below 1, it’s a sign the virus is not transmitted as fast.
Right now, and for the first time in several weeks, Switzerland 's R-rate dropped to 0,92. As a comparison, at the beginning of the pandemic in February 2020, the rate was at its highest — 4.5, according to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: Why does Switzerland want to end Covid restrictions?
Marriage ceremonies could get more expensive
If you are planning to wed, be aware that saying ‘I do’ might soon cost more money.
A wedding at the civil registry office – the only marriage considered to be legal in Switzerland — currently costs around 75 francs. This fee is always the same, regardless of whether the registry office is hosting a ceremony or whether the couple is just signing the marriage certificate.
In many cases, however, this amount doesn’t cover incurred costs, especially when civil registry officer has to travel outside to perform a ceremony, according to Roland Peterhans, president of the Association for Civil Status.
His suggestion: anything other than a simple, no-fuss ceremony “should cost around 200 francs”.
Even if marriages would become more expensive, Sara Stalder, managing director of the Consumer Protection Foundation, is in favour of the increase.
"Not everyone getting married wants the same kind of ceremony. People can decide for themselves whether they want a quick, inexpensive wedding or a more costly one”, she said.
READ MORE: Does marriage make financial sense in Switzerland?
And on the economic front…
Who are Switzerland’s foreign job seekers?
The latest unemployment figures released by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) include a breakdown of job seekers by nationality.
Of the 122, 268 people looking for work in January 2022, the number of Swiss and foreign nationals was roughly the same: the former represented 60,541 of the total, while the latter added up to 61,727 people.
Most of the non-Swiss job seekers came from the European Union, as this group represents the highest proportion of Switzerland’s foreign labour force.
Most specifically, Portuguese nationals formed the largest group (8,618 people), followed by Italians (8,446).
When taking into account Europeans outside the EU, most of 12, 998 job seekers were from Kosovo (4,394) and Macedonia (2,198).
Swiss banks are raising mortgage interest rates sharply
If you would like to purchase a property in the near future, you might want to think twice: Swiss banks are significantly increasing the interest rates for fixed-rate mortgages.
For instance, according to Tages-Anzeiger, interest rates for a five-year mortgage at the Luzerner Kantonalbank rose by 0.19 percent to 1.4 percent; the seven-year fixed-rate mortgage at the same bank now costs 1.51 instead of 1.4 percent.
The trend is the same at other banks as well: Raiffeisenbank charges 1.84 percent for a fixed-rate,10-year mortage; Credit Suisse 1.77 percent, and Zürcher Kantonalbank 1.7 percent.
As a comparison, at the beginning of 2021, a 10-year mortgage cost 1.1 percent.
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 [email protected]
Comments
See Also
A sign of pandemic’s end: reproduction rate falls below 1
One of the metrics that health experts use to determine whether the epidemiological situation is improving or deteriorating is the reproduction (“R”) rate.
It indicates how quickly the virus spreads through the population: if it exceeds 1, it means the number of cases keeps increasing. But if it falls below 1, it’s a sign the virus is not transmitted as fast.
Right now, and for the first time in several weeks, Switzerland 's R-rate dropped to 0,92. As a comparison, at the beginning of the pandemic in February 2020, the rate was at its highest — 4.5, according to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: Why does Switzerland want to end Covid restrictions?
Marriage ceremonies could get more expensive
If you are planning to wed, be aware that saying ‘I do’ might soon cost more money.
A wedding at the civil registry office – the only marriage considered to be legal in Switzerland — currently costs around 75 francs. This fee is always the same, regardless of whether the registry office is hosting a ceremony or whether the couple is just signing the marriage certificate.
In many cases, however, this amount doesn’t cover incurred costs, especially when civil registry officer has to travel outside to perform a ceremony, according to Roland Peterhans, president of the Association for Civil Status.
His suggestion: anything other than a simple, no-fuss ceremony “should cost around 200 francs”.
Even if marriages would become more expensive, Sara Stalder, managing director of the Consumer Protection Foundation, is in favour of the increase.
"Not everyone getting married wants the same kind of ceremony. People can decide for themselves whether they want a quick, inexpensive wedding or a more costly one”, she said.
READ MORE: Does marriage make financial sense in Switzerland?
And on the economic front…
Who are Switzerland’s foreign job seekers?
The latest unemployment figures released by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) include a breakdown of job seekers by nationality.
Of the 122, 268 people looking for work in January 2022, the number of Swiss and foreign nationals was roughly the same: the former represented 60,541 of the total, while the latter added up to 61,727 people.
Most of the non-Swiss job seekers came from the European Union, as this group represents the highest proportion of Switzerland’s foreign labour force.
Most specifically, Portuguese nationals formed the largest group (8,618 people), followed by Italians (8,446).
When taking into account Europeans outside the EU, most of 12, 998 job seekers were from Kosovo (4,394) and Macedonia (2,198).
Swiss banks are raising mortgage interest rates sharply
If you would like to purchase a property in the near future, you might want to think twice: Swiss banks are significantly increasing the interest rates for fixed-rate mortgages.
For instance, according to Tages-Anzeiger, interest rates for a five-year mortgage at the Luzerner Kantonalbank rose by 0.19 percent to 1.4 percent; the seven-year fixed-rate mortgage at the same bank now costs 1.51 instead of 1.4 percent.
The trend is the same at other banks as well: Raiffeisenbank charges 1.84 percent for a fixed-rate,10-year mortage; Credit Suisse 1.77 percent, and Zürcher Kantonalbank 1.7 percent.
As a comparison, at the beginning of 2021, a 10-year mortgage cost 1.1 percent.
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 [email protected]
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.