Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday
Higher consumer prices, threats against elected officials and other Swiss news with The Local's short roundup of the latest developments.
Prices are rising in Switzerland - but wages not so much
The war in Ukraine is impacting economy in general, as well as individual households.
A recent survey by the Economic Research Center (KOF) shows that living in Switzerland costs 2.4 percent more in March 2022 than it did during the same month the previous year. The inflation rate is not helping matters either — it is the highest since 2008. And is not about to stop increasing.
Wages, however, are not growing correspondingly. KOF found that employers are planning to increase wages by only 1.6 percent for the next 12 months.
On the positive side, KOF reports an overall positive outlook for Switzerland’s economy.
Real estate – renting is now cheaper than buying
There have been ongoing debates in Switzerland over which option is more cost-effective for most people — buying a property or renting it.
The Local has also covered this subject:
Buying property versus renting in Switzerland: What is actually cheaper?
The answer depends on many factors, including mortgage rates and state of economy in general.
Right now, and for the first time in 13 years, it is more favourable to be a tenant than an owner, according to a new analysis of the local real estate market by Credit Suisse.
That’s because the total cost of owning a home when taking out or extending a mortgage exceeds the cost of renting a comparable home, Credit Suisse found.
Threats against elected officials reach new heights in Switzerland
The number of threats directed at elected officials as well as members of the Federal Council has increased significantly in 2021, according to the new annual report of the federal police (Fedpol).
A total of 1,215 cases have been reported, compared to 885 in 2020, and 246 in 2019.
“With the arrival of Covid, some people could no longer contain their anger at the measures imposed” Fedpol said.
For instance, Health Minister Alain Berset, who had been the most public ‘face’ of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, received death threats, and the head of Swiss Vaccination Commission Christoph Berger was recently kidnapped by a corona sceptic.
As Pascal Sciarini, professor of political science at University of Geneva told The Local in January, opposition to Covid measures “reached an unusually high degree of aggressiveness, with death threats against various politicians, which is definitely unusual and linked to the strong polarisation of attitudes fostered by the pandemic”.
READ MORE: ‘High degree of aggressiveness’: How Covid has changed Switzerland
New night-time job opportunity in Vaud and Valais: livestock watching
A series of wolf attacks against sheep and other farm animals have been reported in various cantons.
To keep this from happening, Vaud and Valais shepherds are training, in cooperation with the Organization for the Protection of Alpine Pastures (OPPAL), a number of civilian volunteers to watch over herds of livestock at night, when wolves are most likely to pounce.
This is a continuation of a project launched by OPPAL in 2021, when trained volunteers were taught how to make wolf-scaring noises to keep predators at bay.
There is no word on whether the volunteers are trained to spot a wolf in sheep’s clothing, though it seems an essential skill in this line of work.
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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Prices are rising in Switzerland - but wages not so much
The war in Ukraine is impacting economy in general, as well as individual households.
A recent survey by the Economic Research Center (KOF) shows that living in Switzerland costs 2.4 percent more in March 2022 than it did during the same month the previous year. The inflation rate is not helping matters either — it is the highest since 2008. And is not about to stop increasing.
Wages, however, are not growing correspondingly. KOF found that employers are planning to increase wages by only 1.6 percent for the next 12 months.
On the positive side, KOF reports an overall positive outlook for Switzerland’s economy.
Real estate – renting is now cheaper than buying
There have been ongoing debates in Switzerland over which option is more cost-effective for most people — buying a property or renting it.
The Local has also covered this subject:
Buying property versus renting in Switzerland: What is actually cheaper?
The answer depends on many factors, including mortgage rates and state of economy in general.
Right now, and for the first time in 13 years, it is more favourable to be a tenant than an owner, according to a new analysis of the local real estate market by Credit Suisse.
That’s because the total cost of owning a home when taking out or extending a mortgage exceeds the cost of renting a comparable home, Credit Suisse found.
Threats against elected officials reach new heights in Switzerland
The number of threats directed at elected officials as well as members of the Federal Council has increased significantly in 2021, according to the new annual report of the federal police (Fedpol).
A total of 1,215 cases have been reported, compared to 885 in 2020, and 246 in 2019.
“With the arrival of Covid, some people could no longer contain their anger at the measures imposed” Fedpol said.
For instance, Health Minister Alain Berset, who had been the most public ‘face’ of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, received death threats, and the head of Swiss Vaccination Commission Christoph Berger was recently kidnapped by a corona sceptic.
As Pascal Sciarini, professor of political science at University of Geneva told The Local in January, opposition to Covid measures “reached an unusually high degree of aggressiveness, with death threats against various politicians, which is definitely unusual and linked to the strong polarisation of attitudes fostered by the pandemic”.
READ MORE: ‘High degree of aggressiveness’: How Covid has changed Switzerland
New night-time job opportunity in Vaud and Valais: livestock watching
A series of wolf attacks against sheep and other farm animals have been reported in various cantons.
To keep this from happening, Vaud and Valais shepherds are training, in cooperation with the Organization for the Protection of Alpine Pastures (OPPAL), a number of civilian volunteers to watch over herds of livestock at night, when wolves are most likely to pounce.
This is a continuation of a project launched by OPPAL in 2021, when trained volunteers were taught how to make wolf-scaring noises to keep predators at bay.
There is no word on whether the volunteers are trained to spot a wolf in sheep’s clothing, though it seems an essential skill in this line of work.
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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