Today in Switzerland: A round-up of the latest news on Wednesday
Find out what's going on today in Switzerland with The Local's short roundup of the news.
Swiss epidemiologist: ‘Omicron is an endemic virus’
Health Minister Alain Berset, as well as a number of infectious disease specialists, have been referring to Omicron variant as “endemic”. What exactly does this mean?
"An endemic virus circulates constantly in a population, with ups and downs", said Julien Riou, epidemiologist at the University of Bern.The flu, for example, is an endemic virus, "which comes back every winter more or less strongly, depending on factors like the temperature, the number of contacts between people, and especially the immunity of the population".
Riou added that in terms of the current pandemic “we think we are in a transition phase and heading towards endemisation”.
READ MORE: Swiss government: Omicron may be ‘beginning of the end’ of pandemic
Men’s pension is twice as high as women’s
There are large gaps between the retirement benefits received by men and women in occupational pensions — the so-called ‘second pillar that is paid in addition to AHV / AVS— according to the latest figures from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).
The median of the old-age pension paid for the first time in 2020 amounted to 2,081 francs per month for men against 1,167 francs for women.
These significant differences are due to the type of employment. Women typically experience more frequent work interruptions and part-time jobs, mainly for family reasons. Also, women often have lower wages, contribute less to occupational pensions and therefore receive fewer benefits when they retire.
“Domestic and family work, which is more often done by women, is unpaid and does not count toward old-age pension benefits,” the FSO said.
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: Everything you need to know about retiring in Switzerland
More Swiss jobs are advertised online
If you are looking for new employment in Switzerland, searching on the internet may prove productive.
In 2021, 40 percent more job vacancies across all regions were found on the jobs.ch and jobup.ch platforms.
This surge shows "a very positive image of the Swiss labour market", according to JobCloud recruitment agency.
The strongest increases were recorded in the catering and tourism sector (+181 percent), security (+77 percent), and sport and culture (+74 percent). On the other hand, the number of openings in construction and architecture fell by 25 percent, while in IT and telecoms it declined by 7 percent.
Die Gesamtanzahl aller Inserate auf https://t.co/4KVi3lPB2f ist seit Anfang 2021 um 40% gestiegen, die Zunahme im Vergleich zum September beträgt über 4%. Hier alle Resultate: der JobCloud-Analyse: https://t.co/CVCOioEOMD#Arbeitsmarkt #Jobsuche
— JobCloud AG (@JobCloudAG) January 18, 2022
Pfizer submits authorisation request for new Covid treatment
New oral drug, Paxlovid, is undergoing a rolling review process by the Swissmedic regulatory agency.
The manufacturer, Pfizer, submitted pre-clinical and clinical results, but under the rolling review process, a complete data is not required immediately, according to Swissmedic.
Further data will follow on a continuous basis as soon as it becomes available.
“This accelerates the review process while at the same time preserving the same level of careful checking of all requirements relating to safety, efficacy and quality”, Swissmedic said.
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]
Comments
See Also
Swiss epidemiologist: ‘Omicron is an endemic virus’
Health Minister Alain Berset, as well as a number of infectious disease specialists, have been referring to Omicron variant as “endemic”. What exactly does this mean?
"An endemic virus circulates constantly in a population, with ups and downs", said Julien Riou, epidemiologist at the University of Bern.The flu, for example, is an endemic virus, "which comes back every winter more or less strongly, depending on factors like the temperature, the number of contacts between people, and especially the immunity of the population".
Riou added that in terms of the current pandemic “we think we are in a transition phase and heading towards endemisation”.
READ MORE: Swiss government: Omicron may be ‘beginning of the end’ of pandemic
Men’s pension is twice as high as women’s
There are large gaps between the retirement benefits received by men and women in occupational pensions — the so-called ‘second pillar that is paid in addition to AHV / AVS— according to the latest figures from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).
The median of the old-age pension paid for the first time in 2020 amounted to 2,081 francs per month for men against 1,167 francs for women.
These significant differences are due to the type of employment. Women typically experience more frequent work interruptions and part-time jobs, mainly for family reasons. Also, women often have lower wages, contribute less to occupational pensions and therefore receive fewer benefits when they retire.
“Domestic and family work, which is more often done by women, is unpaid and does not count toward old-age pension benefits,” the FSO said.
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: Everything you need to know about retiring in Switzerland
More Swiss jobs are advertised online
If you are looking for new employment in Switzerland, searching on the internet may prove productive.
In 2021, 40 percent more job vacancies across all regions were found on the jobs.ch and jobup.ch platforms.
This surge shows "a very positive image of the Swiss labour market", according to JobCloud recruitment agency.
The strongest increases were recorded in the catering and tourism sector (+181 percent), security (+77 percent), and sport and culture (+74 percent). On the other hand, the number of openings in construction and architecture fell by 25 percent, while in IT and telecoms it declined by 7 percent.
Die Gesamtanzahl aller Inserate auf https://t.co/4KVi3lPB2f ist seit Anfang 2021 um 40% gestiegen, die Zunahme im Vergleich zum September beträgt über 4%. Hier alle Resultate: der JobCloud-Analyse: https://t.co/CVCOioEOMD#Arbeitsmarkt #Jobsuche
— JobCloud AG (@JobCloudAG) January 18, 2022
Pfizer submits authorisation request for new Covid treatment
New oral drug, Paxlovid, is undergoing a rolling review process by the Swissmedic regulatory agency.
The manufacturer, Pfizer, submitted pre-clinical and clinical results, but under the rolling review process, a complete data is not required immediately, according to Swissmedic.
Further data will follow on a continuous basis as soon as it becomes available.
“This accelerates the review process while at the same time preserving the same level of careful checking of all requirements relating to safety, efficacy and quality”, Swissmedic said.
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]
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.