Category Archive: 3.) Swissinfo Business and Economy

Switzerland experiences highest unemployment rate in a decade

The unemployment rate in Switzerland rose again in January, reaching 3.7% - the highest level since April 2010. 

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The introduction of women’s suffrage worldwide

Switzerland was one of the last countries to grant women their right to vote, preceding only 22 other countries worldwide. Today, only one country doesn't allow women voters to cast their ballot in national elections, just because there aren't any. In Vatican City, an absolute monarchy, the legislators are appointed by the Pope. Neither male nor female citizens have the right to vote. February 7, 2021, marks the 50th anniversary of Swiss women's...

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Protecting livestock from predators costs Swiss taxpayers millions

The federal government spends CHF4 million (around $4.4 million) a year to minimise the damage caused by predators like wolves and lynx.

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Can Novartis really make its medicines available to everyone?

Novartis has said it wants everyone in the world to be able to access its products, even multi-million-dollar gene therapies. Can its experiment work?

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Are Switzerland’s new tax breaks for companies a licence to misbehave?

Switzerland has announced that companies will be able to deduct multi-million dollar fines incurred abroad from their tax bill. Critics argue it rewards bad behaviour.

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Julius Baer: mast do better

Swiss private bank Julius Baer has benefitted from rising global markets over the past year, but can it keep it up the momentum?

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Switzerland’s four languages

The Swiss are known for their multilingualism. The proportion of polyglots has increased slightly since 2014, according to a new report from the Federal Statistical Office. Over two-thirds of adults regularly use more than one language. They need these skills to communicate with each other, either in the workplace or across the four distinct language regions. The majority speak German, followed by French, Italian and Romansh. The latter is in...

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Is the grass greener outside the EU?

Britain argues that Brexit will make British agriculture greener. SWI Swissinfo.ch looks at how successful EU agricultural policies have been, and how they compare with Switzerland’s approach.  

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Indonesia’s palm oil angers Swiss anti-globalisation activists

A free trade agreement between Switzerland and Indonesia has been challenged to a nationwide vote. The controversy focuses on the production and imports of palm oil.

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Deal or no Deal: How five non-member states handle EU relations

With Brexit done, Switzerland is hoping it can restart negotiations on its framework agreement with the European Union. The experience of other non-member states offers some valuable lessons on how it can engage with Brussels, though no blueprint exists.  SWI swissinfo.ch looks at how five other non-member states have negotiated with the EU.

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Pandemic dents Swiss appetite for new cars

Covid-19 has been blamed for a 17.8% decline in car registrations in Switzerland last year. The number of motor vehicle sales fell even further – by nearly a quarter.

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Johnson & Johnson Swiss branch relocation threatens 320 jobs

American pharma group Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is to transfer four of its canton Neuchâtel-based subsidiaries to other locations – including abroad. The move is expected to result in the loss of up to 320 jobs by mid-2023.

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Switzerland and UK to push ahead with financial services deal

Britain and Switzerland will press on with plans to strike a trade deal for their vast financial services industries, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said on Wednesday ahead of talks with his Swiss counterpart.

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Manser diaries donated to Basel museum

The diaries of Bruno Manser, a Swiss environmental and human rights activist, have been donated to the Museum der Kulturen in Basel.

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Funding for start-ups barely dented by coronavirus

More than CHF2 billion of venture capital flowed into young Swiss companies for the second year in a row, a sustained rate of funding that defied the economic destruction wreaked by the pandemic last year.

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How Vaccine Technology, Choice and Supply Work in Switzerland

The Swiss Covid-19 vaccination campaign is up and running with two approved vaccines available to accelerate the fight against the virus, and others set to follow. How do the vaccine technologies work and compare, and can people choose which one they get?

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Swiss Corporate Merger Activity Dampened by Covid

The coronavirus pandemic left its mark on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in Switzerland last year. The volume of transactions halved, and the number of deals was also down. Overall, the number of transactions with Swiss participation fell from 402 to 363. At $63.1 billion (CHF56 billion), the transaction volume was only half what it was in 2019 – mainly owing to the absence of mega-deals, consultants KPMG said on Thursday.

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Why does Davos Man get it so wrong?

The World Economic Forum should put global leaders in the audience to listen to social workers, virologists and reporters, argues Simon Kuper.

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Top Swiss banker Collardi reprimanded by financial watchdog

Former Julius Bär CEO Boris Collardi has had his knuckles rapped by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) following an investigation into money laundering.

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Swiss multinationals draw blurry political lines in the sand

Our analysis of what the biggest global companies in Switzerland are up to. This week: corporate funding in politics, diamond billionaire on trial and high hopes for the economy.

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