Tag Archive: Work

Over a third of Swiss jobs are part-time

2019-04-24

by

2019-04-24

The number of people working in Switzerland is on the rise. Meanwhile, part-time work is much more widespread in Switzerland than in the rest of Europe. In Switzerland, 84.2% of the population aged 15 to 64 had a job in 2018 – an increase of 2.9 percentage points since 2010. Within the European Union (EU), only Iceland has a higher level of employment.

Read More »

More Job seekers abroad drain Swiss Unemployment Benefits

2019-02-25

by

2019-02-25

The number of people drawing on Swiss unemployment benefits while searching for a job in the European Union has risen sharply in the last five years. Foreigners returning home make up the largest share, according to government data analysed by SonntagsBlick.

Read More »

Swiss wage gap between genders remains bafflingly wide

2019-02-02

by

2019-02-02

The pay gap between men and women in Switzerland has increased slightly, amounting to hundreds of francs per month on average. Men earned 19.6% more pay than female colleagues in 2016, compared to a 19.5% difference in 2012. While some of this gap can be explained by length of service, additional qualifications and the like, in more than four out of ten cases researchers could see no reason why women are paid less.

Read More »

Half of Swiss Population Commutes Half an Hour to Work

2019-02-01

by

2019-02-01

Nine out of ten employees in Switzerland – or four million people total – commuted to work last year, most of them to another municipality, and most by car. In 2017, the average one-way Swiss commute was 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) and took 30.6 minutes, reported the Federal Statistical Officeexternal link on Tuesday.

Read More »

Switzerland has second-most part-time workers in Europe

2019-01-22

by

2019-01-22

Part-time work in Switzerland continues to increase, with the latest figures from the Federal Statistical Office showing that over a third of employees work less than 90%. The figures, said the statistical office on Thursdayexternal link, show a marked increase in part-time work over the past 20 years: from 26.3% to 36.7%.

Read More »

Older workers have ‘untapped potential’ to fill labour shortages

2018-12-12

by

2018-12-12

Switzerland’s workforce is in good shape but perhaps not for long, according to a new study by the consulting firm Deloitte. Tapping existing pools of talent including older workers and women are key to helping companies meet future demands for skilled labour.

Read More »

Wage Losses for Heads of Major Swiss Firms

2018-11-29

by

2018-11-29

On average, heads of large Swiss corporations have suffered a marked drop in salary. In 2017, the median wage of the heads of 20 leading companies dropped by nearly 30%. According to the executive compensation report published by consulting firm PwCexternal link on Tuesday, the median salary of the heads of 20 firms in the leading SMI index fell from CHF7.7 million ($7.7 million) to CHF5.5 million.

Read More »

Bankers are no longer Switzerland’s top earners

2018-11-20

by

2018-11-20

The pharmaceutical industry and insurance companies have overtaken banking as the best paid sectors in Switzerland, according to the NZZ am Sonntag. In 2016, bank executives took home an average gross salary of CHF220,000 ($220,394) per year, which is CHF 40,000 less than ten years ago.

Read More »

Home-care services increase, nursing home stays stagnate

2018-11-17

by

2018-11-17

Better at home than in a home: almost 350,000 people made use of assistance and home-care services (Spitex) last year, 10,000 more than in 2016. In contrast, the number of residents of old-age and nursing homes remained constant at 149,000, 15% of them for a short stay. Spitex, a Swiss non-profit organisation that provides in-home nursing services like changing bandages and administering medicine, chalked up nearly 16 million hours of home care and...

Read More »

Builders Resume Street Protests

2018-11-06

by

2018-11-06

Construction workers have continued their protests against worsening labour conditions in Switzerland. An estimated 4,000 people took to the streets of Lausanne on Monday in the latest stage of a series of short regional strikes underway since mid-October.

Read More »

Doctors’ Salaries Exceed eEpectations

2018-10-30

by

2018-10-30

The salaries of self-employed doctors in Switzerland are around a third higher than previously thought, according to a study by the Federal Office of Public Health. The median wage is CHF257,000 ($258,000). However, certain specialists can earn considerably more: neurosurgeons, for example, take home a median salary of CHF697,000 and gastroenterologists CHF627,000.

Read More »

Over 27percent of Swiss workers are stressed

2018-10-14

by

2018-10-14

Workplace stress in Switzerland is on the rise, particularly among younger workers – who often show up feeling unwell. The consequences are costly. The “Job Stress Index” – published by Health Promotion Switzerlandexternal link on the eve of World Mental Health Dayexternal link – has found that stress levels at work continue their upward trend.

Read More »

Novartis chief hints at job cuts in Switzerland

2018-09-04

by

2018-09-04

The president of pharmaceutical giant Novartis has announced job cuts in an interview with Swiss newspaper NZZ am Sonntag. Jörg Reinhardt said the Basel-based company wants to streamline its production sites and administration worldwide.

Read More »

Swiss work permit hassles putting off foreign workers

2018-08-25

by

2018-08-25

Switzerland has lost some of its appeal for foreign labour, according to a survey by an American multinational management consulting firm. Compared with 2014, Switzerland finished in eighth place – down three positions.

Read More »

Strikes mooted over construction retirement age

2018-06-25

by

2018-06-25

Unions on Friday threatened warning strikes for the building sector this autumn if the current retirement age of 60 for construction workers is dropped. At a press conference on Friday, Switzerland’s biggest trade union Unia, and the union Syna called for early retirement, as well as more worker protection and less temporary work on sites.

Read More »

Executives still paid exorbitant salaries at big Swiss firms

2018-06-23

by

2018-06-23

The gap between the top-paid and least-paid employees of the 39 largest companies in Switzerland remains high, despite a 2013 vote against excessive executive pay. According to Switzerland's largest trade union, Unia, in 2017 the average ratio between top and bottom in these companies was 1:143.

Read More »

Over 1,000 jobs threatened by OVS liquidation

2018-06-02

by

2018-06-02

The Sempione Retail company, owner of the OVS fashion stores in Switzerland, has begun bankruptcy proceedings. Some 140 outlets will close their doors, with 1,150 workers affected. The Italian clothes brand announced in a statement on Wednesday evening that it had reached a financial dead-end.

Read More »

Swiss unemployment lower than it’s been in years

2018-05-12

by

2018-05-12

The Swiss unemployment rate was 2.7% in April – a level last seen in July 2012. Last month, 119,781 people were registered as without work in Switzerland – 10,632 fewer than the previous month. This brought the overall unemployment rate down from 2.9% in March to 2.7% in April, reported the State Secretariat for Economic Affairsexternal link on Tuesday.

Read More »

Thousands of Swiss take to streets to mark May Day

2018-05-05

by

2018-05-05

Workers and activists have been celebrating May Day in Switzerland with rallies in numerous cities urging their government to address employment issues, such as equal pay. Around 50 rallies and events are planned across Switzerland. On Tuesday morning, 13,000 took part in a demonstration in Zurich city centre. Other major rallies were held in Basel in the morning, and in Bern and Geneva in the afternoon.

Read More »

Unions seek to blacklist Swiss firms that underpay women

2018-05-03

by

2018-05-03

The workers’ union umbrella group Travail Suisse is calling for the introduction of a blacklist to shame Swiss companies that fail to pay women and men equally. This is one of 28 recommendations which feature in a position paper published by Travail Suisse external linkon Monday, on the eve of International Workers’ Day.

Read More »