Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
Zurich breaks population record thanks to immigrants; British driver nabbed for 'excessive' speed; and other Swiss news in our roundup this Wednesday.
Zurich breaks 60-year-old population record
At the end of 2022, the population of Switzerland’s largest city rose to 443,037 people, breaking the record reached in 1963, when Zurich counted 440,180 inhabitants.
Since then, numbers have been gradually dropping, mostly due to the low birth rate.
This data, published by municipal authorities on Tuesday, shows that “the strong population growth in 2022 is largely due to immigration, increasing the number of residents by 14 percent compared to the previous year. The nearly 45,000 new arrivals in 2022 are the highest since 2007.”
READ MORE: Zurich hit by affordable housing shortage amid record-high immigration
Socialists file complaint against right-wingers for racism
The latest position paper by the populist Swiss People’s Party (SVP), which claims that “Swiss migration policy is a fiasco – we welcome too many bad foreigners,” has sparked outrage among the Young Socialist Party (JUSO).
“The SVP is known for its dangerous rhetoric, especially against migrants. With its latest position, the party once again pushes the boundaries of what is acceptable,” JUSO said in a press release on Tuesday.
In response, JUSO announced it has filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor’s Office for the violation of Switzerland’s anti-racist law.
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: How Zurich aims to prevent racial profiling
The most and least prestigious professionals in Switzerland
In a recent academic survey into the kind of professions Switzerland’s population admires most (and least), the clear winners are doctors, university professors, managers, airplane pilots, firefighters, and judges.
This is the finding of the Social Changes in Switzerland project, carried out by the Swiss Competence Center for Social Sciences (FORS) and the University of Lausanne.
On the other hand, cleaners, kitchen help, factory workers, and cashiers are relegated to the bottom of the rankings.
The two main factors explaining the prestige of a profession (or the lack thereof) are training and income, the study found.
However, the Swiss are not the only elitists in Europe: similar results have been observed in international surveys as well.
The only difference is that the technical and other professions resulting from vocational training have a higher prestige in Switzerland than abroad.
Swiss police launch criminal investigation into British speeder
A tourist from the UK was recently flashed twice in one night while driving “at a massively excessive speed” through Vaud.
He was first flashed driving at 200 km/hour on the A1 motorway, where the speed limit is 120 km/h, and then at 176 km/h in a 100 km/h zone, Vaud’s cantonal police announced on Tuesday.
“Shortly thereafter, the driver crashed his car on the A9 motorway near Montreux and left the scene of the accident,” the police reports.
However, karma — and police — finally got the errant driver.
His damaged vehicle, registered in the UK, was found parked on a street in Montreux and towed away.
Meanwhile, the driver had contacted the police and reported his car as missing. He was swiftly arrested and a case against him was filed with the public prosecutor.
The man was reportedly merely “passing through” Switzerland, but he will now remain here longer than planned.
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: What you should know about speeding fines in Switzerland
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 breaks 60-year-old population record
At the end of 2022, the population of Switzerland’s largest city rose to 443,037 people, breaking the record reached in 1963, when Zurich counted 440,180 inhabitants.
Since then, numbers have been gradually dropping, mostly due to the low birth rate.
This data, published by municipal authorities on Tuesday, shows that “the strong population growth in 2022 is largely due to immigration, increasing the number of residents by 14 percent compared to the previous year. The nearly 45,000 new arrivals in 2022 are the highest since 2007.”
READ MORE: Zurich hit by affordable housing shortage amid record-high immigration
Socialists file complaint against right-wingers for racism
The latest position paper by the populist Swiss People’s Party (SVP), which claims that “Swiss migration policy is a fiasco – we welcome too many bad foreigners,” has sparked outrage among the Young Socialist Party (JUSO).
“The SVP is known for its dangerous rhetoric, especially against migrants. With its latest position, the party once again pushes the boundaries of what is acceptable,” JUSO said in a press release on Tuesday.
In response, JUSO announced it has filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor’s Office for the violation of Switzerland’s anti-racist law.
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: How Zurich aims to prevent racial profiling
The most and least prestigious professionals in Switzerland
In a recent academic survey into the kind of professions Switzerland’s population admires most (and least), the clear winners are doctors, university professors, managers, airplane pilots, firefighters, and judges.
This is the finding of the Social Changes in Switzerland project, carried out by the Swiss Competence Center for Social Sciences (FORS) and the University of Lausanne.
On the other hand, cleaners, kitchen help, factory workers, and cashiers are relegated to the bottom of the rankings.
The two main factors explaining the prestige of a profession (or the lack thereof) are training and income, the study found.
However, the Swiss are not the only elitists in Europe: similar results have been observed in international surveys as well.
The only difference is that the technical and other professions resulting from vocational training have a higher prestige in Switzerland than abroad.
Swiss police launch criminal investigation into British speeder
A tourist from the UK was recently flashed twice in one night while driving “at a massively excessive speed” through Vaud.
He was first flashed driving at 200 km/hour on the A1 motorway, where the speed limit is 120 km/h, and then at 176 km/h in a 100 km/h zone, Vaud’s cantonal police announced on Tuesday.
“Shortly thereafter, the driver crashed his car on the A9 motorway near Montreux and left the scene of the accident,” the police reports.
However, karma — and police — finally got the errant driver.
His damaged vehicle, registered in the UK, was found parked on a street in Montreux and towed away.
Meanwhile, the driver had contacted the police and reported his car as missing. He was swiftly arrested and a case against him was filed with the public prosecutor.
The man was reportedly merely “passing through” Switzerland, but he will now remain here longer than planned.
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: What you should know about speeding fines in Switzerland
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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