Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Thursday
Immigrants have a positive impact on Switzerland's social system; rents continue to climb; and other news in our roundup on Thursday.
Immigrants have a positive effect on Swiss social system
Even though right-wing groups have been saying that foreigners often abuse Switzerland’s social structure, these claims are false, according to State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).
In fact, immigrants have had a positive effect on the old-age AHV / AVS pension and disability insurance, SECO said.
For instance, they contributed 27.1 percent to the financing of the AHV / AVS, while drawing only 15.2 percent of it.
In terms of disability insurance, foreign nationals paid 26.5 percent into the scheme, receiving only 14.9% of benefits.
READ MORE: How foreigners are changing Switzerland
Switzerland’s alarm system “highly reliable,” government says
The annual siren test that took place across the country on Wednesday showed that 99 percent “functioned flawlessly,” as did information message that was broadcast at the same time on the Alertswiss channels.
To protect its population, Switzerland has a network 5,000 fixed and 2,200 mobile sirens, in addition to the Alertswiss app, which are tested each year on the first Wednesday of February.
In yesterday’s test, “99 percent of the fixed sirens worked perfectly,” the government announced.
As for the others, “cantons and municipalities are now required to repair or replace defective alarm equipment without delay,” authorities said, adding that “since the sirens are tested every year and any deficiencies found are subsequently eliminated, operational safety is maintained at a high level.”
Rents in Switzerland to keep going up in 2023
With the departure of old tenants and arrival of new ones, rents will increase by 2 percent, Wüest Partner real estate group reported on Wednesday.
In addition, the mortgage reference interest rate is likely to be raised, which will make rents in existing contracts more expensive as well.
Apart from traditionally high-rent markets like Zurich and Geneva, housing costs are increasing in almost all regions of Switzerland, with new rents significantly higher than existing ones, the group found.
Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) testing a new app
SBB is testing a new function: in the future, passengers will be able to share their position in the train with their friends and automatically receive information about disruptions and delays of the train in which they are sitting.
It is not only possible to know in which car the passenger is located inside the train, but also if he or she is at the top or the bottom in a double-decker train. The information is presented in the form of a graph and can be shared via Whatsapp.
The application can already be downloaded from the Android store or the App store under the name “SBB Preview”.
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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Immigrants have a positive effect on Swiss social system
Even though right-wing groups have been saying that foreigners often abuse Switzerland’s social structure, these claims are false, according to State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).
In fact, immigrants have had a positive effect on the old-age AHV / AVS pension and disability insurance, SECO said.
For instance, they contributed 27.1 percent to the financing of the AHV / AVS, while drawing only 15.2 percent of it.
In terms of disability insurance, foreign nationals paid 26.5 percent into the scheme, receiving only 14.9% of benefits.
READ MORE: How foreigners are changing Switzerland
Switzerland’s alarm system “highly reliable,” government says
The annual siren test that took place across the country on Wednesday showed that 99 percent “functioned flawlessly,” as did information message that was broadcast at the same time on the Alertswiss channels.
To protect its population, Switzerland has a network 5,000 fixed and 2,200 mobile sirens, in addition to the Alertswiss app, which are tested each year on the first Wednesday of February.
In yesterday’s test, “99 percent of the fixed sirens worked perfectly,” the government announced.
As for the others, “cantons and municipalities are now required to repair or replace defective alarm equipment without delay,” authorities said, adding that “since the sirens are tested every year and any deficiencies found are subsequently eliminated, operational safety is maintained at a high level.”
Rents in Switzerland to keep going up in 2023
With the departure of old tenants and arrival of new ones, rents will increase by 2 percent, Wüest Partner real estate group reported on Wednesday.
In addition, the mortgage reference interest rate is likely to be raised, which will make rents in existing contracts more expensive as well.
Apart from traditionally high-rent markets like Zurich and Geneva, housing costs are increasing in almost all regions of Switzerland, with new rents significantly higher than existing ones, the group found.
Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) testing a new app
SBB is testing a new function: in the future, passengers will be able to share their position in the train with their friends and automatically receive information about disruptions and delays of the train in which they are sitting.
It is not only possible to know in which car the passenger is located inside the train, but also if he or she is at the top or the bottom in a double-decker train. The information is presented in the form of a graph and can be shared via Whatsapp.
The application can already be downloaded from the Android store or the App store under the name “SBB Preview”.
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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