Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
Covid rates are falling, more foreign workers needed and Roger Federer's Switzerland gets a new Hollywood companion.
The number of Covid cases in Switzerland is dropping
Even though no coronavirus restrictions have been in place in Switzerland since April 1st, the number of new infections is declining.
In its new weekly situation report on Tuesday, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) indicates that about 40,000 infections have been recorded in Switzerland since April 5th, which means that roughly 5,700 cases had been registered each day during the seven-day period.
This number is significantly lower than up to 30,000 daily cases recorded on some days in March.
There are also fewer Covid patients in Swiss ICUs — 89 on April 11th, down from about 140 just weeks ago.
Labels on foods sold in Switzerland could be misleading
A consumer association is French-speaking Switzerland (FRC) is warning that due to the shortage of certain common imports from Ukraine, replacement products are used to manufacture foods, without the change in composition being indicated on labels.
For instance, 45 percent of the sunflower oil consumed in Europe, which is used to manufacture a variety of foods, comes from Ukraine. Some countries like France and Germany, from which Switzerland imports many foods, want to replace sunflower by rapeseed or palm oil, without modifying the labels
FRC also points out that Switzerland imports 60 percent of the feed consumed by livestock, and substitutions could contain genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) without consumers being informed of the change.
Lack of workers hinders Switzerland’s economic growth
Switzerland’s economy has largely recovered from the pandemic, but the country is facing a different problem now: while plenty of jobs are available, there are not enough qualified people to fill them.
Currently there is a shortage of 85,000 specialists in all branches, a number which is expected to reach 365,000 in 2025.
Human resources agency Michael Page found in a recent survey that the hotel and catering industry is creating most new jobs, but there are not enough workers to be recruited for these positions.
One of the reasons for this scarcity is that opportunities for vocational training (apprenticeship) for jobs in this sector have decreased by more than 40 percent.
READ MORE: What is the average salary for (almost) every job in Switzerland?
When Roger met Anne… magic happened
In 2021, Switzerland’s tourism body recruited tennis champ and national hero Roger Federer to make a promotional video with American actor Robert de Niro. The result was a witty clip that went viral:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXcBGfXXL4w
In a new, just-released video, Federer teamed up with yet another Hollywood star, Anne Hathaway, to promote the “Grand Tour of Switzerland”.
You can see the funny clip here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyhpSZBuYoE
READ MORE: Switzerland’s ten most beautiful villages you have to visit
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]
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The number of Covid cases in Switzerland is dropping
Even though no coronavirus restrictions have been in place in Switzerland since April 1st, the number of new infections is declining.
In its new weekly situation report on Tuesday, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) indicates that about 40,000 infections have been recorded in Switzerland since April 5th, which means that roughly 5,700 cases had been registered each day during the seven-day period.
This number is significantly lower than up to 30,000 daily cases recorded on some days in March.
There are also fewer Covid patients in Swiss ICUs — 89 on April 11th, down from about 140 just weeks ago.
Labels on foods sold in Switzerland could be misleading
A consumer association is French-speaking Switzerland (FRC) is warning that due to the shortage of certain common imports from Ukraine, replacement products are used to manufacture foods, without the change in composition being indicated on labels.
For instance, 45 percent of the sunflower oil consumed in Europe, which is used to manufacture a variety of foods, comes from Ukraine. Some countries like France and Germany, from which Switzerland imports many foods, want to replace sunflower by rapeseed or palm oil, without modifying the labels
FRC also points out that Switzerland imports 60 percent of the feed consumed by livestock, and substitutions could contain genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) without consumers being informed of the change.
Lack of workers hinders Switzerland’s economic growth
Switzerland’s economy has largely recovered from the pandemic, but the country is facing a different problem now: while plenty of jobs are available, there are not enough qualified people to fill them.
Currently there is a shortage of 85,000 specialists in all branches, a number which is expected to reach 365,000 in 2025.
Human resources agency Michael Page found in a recent survey that the hotel and catering industry is creating most new jobs, but there are not enough workers to be recruited for these positions.
One of the reasons for this scarcity is that opportunities for vocational training (apprenticeship) for jobs in this sector have decreased by more than 40 percent.
READ MORE: What is the average salary for (almost) every job in Switzerland?
When Roger met Anne… magic happened
In 2021, Switzerland’s tourism body recruited tennis champ and national hero Roger Federer to make a promotional video with American actor Robert de Niro. The result was a witty clip that went viral:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXcBGfXXL4w
In a new, just-released video, Federer teamed up with yet another Hollywood star, Anne Hathaway, to promote the “Grand Tour of Switzerland”.
You can see the funny clip here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyhpSZBuYoE
READ MORE: Switzerland’s ten most beautiful villages you have to visit
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]
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