Category Archive: 3.) Swissinfo Business and Economy

Filter archive by: Show All Show only Articles Show only Videos

Report shows slump in foreign investment in Swiss real estate

2021-02-15

by

2021-02-15

The share of foreign investment in Swiss commercial real estate fell from 15% before 2011 to 5% between 2017 and 2019, according to new research. The issue of foreigners buying cheap Swiss property during the Covid-19 pandemic is being discussed in Bern.

Read More »

Swiss spent record amount on food in 2020

2021-02-14

by

2021-02-14

Consumers spent 11.3% more on food and beverages in brick-and-mortar shops last year than they did in 2019, helping the food retail trade to pull in a record turnover of nearly CHF30 billion ($33.7 billion).

Read More »

Covid changes Swiss holiday and transport habits

2021-02-12

by

2021-02-12

A third of Swiss people chose not to travel on holiday last year as the coronavirus pandemic gripped the world, according to automobile association Touring Club Switzerland (TCS).

Read More »

‘Looking after citizens’ ID data is a sovereign task’

2021-02-10

by

2021-02-10

Lawyer and parliamentarian Sibel Arslan explains why she is against the proposed new law on digital identity (eID) and why rejecting it would be an opportunity for digitisation. 

Read More »

Switzerland experiences highest unemployment rate in a decade

2021-02-08

by

2021-02-08

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

Read More »

The introduction of women’s suffrage worldwide

2021-02-07

by

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...

Read More »

Protecting livestock from predators costs Swiss taxpayers millions

2021-02-07

by

2021-02-07

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

Read More »

Can Novartis really make its medicines available to everyone?

2021-02-05

by

2021-02-05

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?

Read More »

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

2021-02-03

by

2021-02-03

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.

Read More »

Julius Baer: mast do better

2021-02-02

by

2021-02-02

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

Read More »

Switzerland’s four languages

2021-02-01

by

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...

Read More »

Is the grass greener outside the EU?

2021-02-01

by

2021-02-01

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.  

Read More »

Indonesia’s palm oil angers Swiss anti-globalisation activists

2021-01-31

by

2021-01-31

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.

Read More »

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

2021-01-30

by

2021-01-30

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.

Read More »

Pandemic dents Swiss appetite for new cars

2021-01-30

by

2021-01-30

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.

Read More »

Johnson & Johnson Swiss branch relocation threatens 320 jobs

2021-01-29

by

2021-01-29

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.

Read More »

Switzerland and UK to push ahead with financial services deal

2021-01-27

by

2021-01-27

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.

Read More »

Manser diaries donated to Basel museum

2021-01-27

by

2021-01-27

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

Read More »

Funding for start-ups barely dented by coronavirus

2021-01-26

by

2021-01-26

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.

Read More »

How Vaccine Technology, Choice and Supply Work in Switzerland

2021-01-24

by

2021-01-24

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?

Read More »