Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
Inflation rate is dropping, salaries to increase, and other Swiss news in our roundup on Wednesday.
MPs adopt laxer rules for speeding drivers
The National Council adopted a motion calling for dissuasive sanctions against speeders, but allowing exceptions for very specific cases.
Initially, deputies were in favour of reducing the time for withdrawal of a driver's license from 24 to 12 months, and lowering the current minimum penalty of one year in jail.
After an ongoing debate, the National Council decided the minimum sentence of one year can be reduced by a court "in the presence of a mitigating circumstance, in particular if the offender acted for respectable motives, or if the offender has no prior criminal record”.
The Council of States will now weigh in on this issue as well.
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: What you should know about speeding fines in Switzerland
Switzerland will not be hit by recession
As global economy faces inflation-fuelled recession risks, "the situation remains positive for Switzerland”, Claude Maurer chief economist at Credit Suisse said on Tuesday.
Households should be able to cope with rising energy prices, and consumption is “supporting" the Swiss economy”, according to Maurer.
As for inflation, it is expected to drop from the current 3.5 percent to 1.5 percent in 2023, “and gasoline and heating oil prices should start to fall,” he added.
And there is even more good news on the horizon:
Salaries are expected to increase in 2023
As labour market remains robust in Switzerland, wages are expected to go up as well, according to Laurent Vacelet, director of Manpower Group.
"Studies show it: 2023 will be a year in which the increase in salaries will be substantial in many sectors”, he said.
In general, wages will rise by between 2 to 5 percent, “depending on the industry. But the trend is clear”, Vacelet added.
Two Swiss glaciers are now separated
The glaciers of Tsanfleuron and Scex Rouge, on the Diablerets range, have now shifted away from each other. The narrow portion of ice that still connected them on the Col de Tsanfleuron (2,816 m), between the cantons of Vaud and Valais, has completely melted.
As The Local reported in August, the pass between the two glaciers “has been iced over since at least the Roman era", but was expected to separate completely within a few weeks, according to experts.
The forecast was correct: the two glaciers have now broken away from each other, victims of global warming, worsened this year by a particularly hot summer.
READ MORE: ‘Land unseen in centuries’: Swiss mountain pass ice to melt completely
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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MPs adopt laxer rules for speeding drivers
The National Council adopted a motion calling for dissuasive sanctions against speeders, but allowing exceptions for very specific cases.
Initially, deputies were in favour of reducing the time for withdrawal of a driver's license from 24 to 12 months, and lowering the current minimum penalty of one year in jail.
After an ongoing debate, the National Council decided the minimum sentence of one year can be reduced by a court "in the presence of a mitigating circumstance, in particular if the offender acted for respectable motives, or if the offender has no prior criminal record”.
The Council of States will now weigh in on this issue as well.
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: What you should know about speeding fines in Switzerland
Switzerland will not be hit by recession
As global economy faces inflation-fuelled recession risks, "the situation remains positive for Switzerland”, Claude Maurer chief economist at Credit Suisse said on Tuesday.
Households should be able to cope with rising energy prices, and consumption is “supporting" the Swiss economy”, according to Maurer.
As for inflation, it is expected to drop from the current 3.5 percent to 1.5 percent in 2023, “and gasoline and heating oil prices should start to fall,” he added.
And there is even more good news on the horizon:
Salaries are expected to increase in 2023
As labour market remains robust in Switzerland, wages are expected to go up as well, according to Laurent Vacelet, director of Manpower Group.
"Studies show it: 2023 will be a year in which the increase in salaries will be substantial in many sectors”, he said.
In general, wages will rise by between 2 to 5 percent, “depending on the industry. But the trend is clear”, Vacelet added.
Two Swiss glaciers are now separated
The glaciers of Tsanfleuron and Scex Rouge, on the Diablerets range, have now shifted away from each other. The narrow portion of ice that still connected them on the Col de Tsanfleuron (2,816 m), between the cantons of Vaud and Valais, has completely melted.
As The Local reported in August, the pass between the two glaciers “has been iced over since at least the Roman era", but was expected to separate completely within a few weeks, according to experts.
The forecast was correct: the two glaciers have now broken away from each other, victims of global warming, worsened this year by a particularly hot summer.
READ MORE: ‘Land unseen in centuries’: Swiss mountain pass ice to melt completely
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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