Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday
Train services between Switzerland and France cancelled, a minimum wage set to be launched in Zurich and other Swiss news in our roundup on Tuesday.
Zurich to introduce minimum wage in 2024
Following cantons of Basel-City, Geneva, Neuchâtel, Jura, and Ticino, Zurich is set to introduce minimum wage as well.
A multi-party parliamentary alliance has agreed on an inflation-adjusted minimum wage of 23.90 per hour — 4,000 francs a month — to be paid to about 17,000 low-income Zurich residents.
However, it cannot be excluded that right-wing groups, which oppose minimum wages, will launch a referendum on this issue.
"A minimum wage jeopardises jobs and harms the economy," MP Susanne Brunner from the populist Swiss People’s Party (SVP) said.
She added that a municipal minimum wage – that is, one that applies only to the city and not to the entire canton – is a “bureaucratic nightmare.”
Switzerland’s economy 'continues to improve'
Though challenges remain, “the outlook for the Swiss economy continues to improve,” according to the new forecast issued on Monday by KOF Economic Institute.
"The beginning of the year is considerably less gloomy than it was in autumn of last year,” KOF economists said.
Positive developments can be seen in manufacturing, hospitality, construction, as well as services sectors.
“The picture is favourable, or at least stable, in all aspects of business activity,” KOF reports.
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: Why is Switzerland so rich?
REVEALED: Trains in Switzerland don’t always run on time
Though Swiss trains have a reputation for punctuality, it turns out this is not always the case.
This is the finding of a major study by CH Media group, which analysed all train traffic over the last year to see how it performed time-wise.
The largest railway company, SBB, has a punctuality rate of around 92 percent — the best in Europe — but smaller public transport providers don’t always keep up with this standard, analysis revealed.
The top offender across Switzerland’s network is the German rail company Deutsche Bahn: one line, for instance, arrives late nearly 85 percent of time.
However, the list also features a number of SBB trains that are regularly behind schedule.
Find out which trains are late most often in our article today.
Trains cancelled between France and Switzerland due to strike
Train operator Lyria announced that several services between Paris and the Swiss cities of Geneva, Lausanne, Basel and Zurich were cancelled on Tuesday due to pension reform strikes in France.
Services on Wednesday are also affected. For the latest on the services affected click here.
Increasing number of doctors in Switzerland were trained abroad
A large majority of doctors who entered practice in Switzerland during the last decade completed their training in a foreign country, according to the latest Bulletin of Swiss Doctors publication.
From 2012 to 2021, for instance, 9,926 medical degrees were obtained in Switzerland, and 28,525 abroad.
Among the new doctors who started practicing during this timeframe, 26 percent received their training in Switzerland and 74 percent abroad.
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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Zurich to introduce minimum wage in 2024
Following cantons of Basel-City, Geneva, Neuchâtel, Jura, and Ticino, Zurich is set to introduce minimum wage as well.
A multi-party parliamentary alliance has agreed on an inflation-adjusted minimum wage of 23.90 per hour — 4,000 francs a month — to be paid to about 17,000 low-income Zurich residents.
However, it cannot be excluded that right-wing groups, which oppose minimum wages, will launch a referendum on this issue.
"A minimum wage jeopardises jobs and harms the economy," MP Susanne Brunner from the populist Swiss People’s Party (SVP) said.
She added that a municipal minimum wage – that is, one that applies only to the city and not to the entire canton – is a “bureaucratic nightmare.”
Switzerland’s economy 'continues to improve'
Though challenges remain, “the outlook for the Swiss economy continues to improve,” according to the new forecast issued on Monday by KOF Economic Institute.
"The beginning of the year is considerably less gloomy than it was in autumn of last year,” KOF economists said.
Positive developments can be seen in manufacturing, hospitality, construction, as well as services sectors.
“The picture is favourable, or at least stable, in all aspects of business activity,” KOF reports.
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: Why is Switzerland so rich?
REVEALED: Trains in Switzerland don’t always run on time
Though Swiss trains have a reputation for punctuality, it turns out this is not always the case.
This is the finding of a major study by CH Media group, which analysed all train traffic over the last year to see how it performed time-wise.
The largest railway company, SBB, has a punctuality rate of around 92 percent — the best in Europe — but smaller public transport providers don’t always keep up with this standard, analysis revealed.
The top offender across Switzerland’s network is the German rail company Deutsche Bahn: one line, for instance, arrives late nearly 85 percent of time.
However, the list also features a number of SBB trains that are regularly behind schedule.
Find out which trains are late most often in our article today.
Trains cancelled between France and Switzerland due to strike
Train operator Lyria announced that several services between Paris and the Swiss cities of Geneva, Lausanne, Basel and Zurich were cancelled on Tuesday due to pension reform strikes in France.
Services on Wednesday are also affected. For the latest on the services affected click here.
Increasing number of doctors in Switzerland were trained abroad
A large majority of doctors who entered practice in Switzerland during the last decade completed their training in a foreign country, according to the latest Bulletin of Swiss Doctors publication.
From 2012 to 2021, for instance, 9,926 medical degrees were obtained in Switzerland, and 28,525 abroad.
Among the new doctors who started practicing during this timeframe, 26 percent received their training in Switzerland and 74 percent abroad.
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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