And it takes them only 92 minutes to cover the distance
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The Swiss are on the move, with train travel inside the country up in particular, figures from the new federal “Microcensus” show. Each Swiss resident six years or older “covered a daily distance of almost 37km within Switzerland in 2010.
Two-thirds of that distance was covered in cars, but train travel is on the rise in this nation that rides the train more than any other country’s residents: up 27 percent in five years.
The growth in road traffic parallels that of the population, which increased 5.5 percent from 2005 to 2010.
Swiss remain world travelers
The Swiss travel 20,500km a year, a distance equal to going halfway around the globe, and one-third of that is spent on travel outside the country, the microcenss shows.
The 37km were covered in 92 minutes, including waiting time and transfers, the statistics show. They were gathered by questioning 63,000 people.
The Federal Statistical Office (FSO) and the Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE) carried out the Mobility and Transport Microcensus, part of the new modular census that “analyses today’s accelerated social change much more effectively than was previously the case” with the old 10-year censuses.
Here’s how we moved: 23.8km by car, 8.6km using public transport and 2.8km on foot or bicycle.
GENEVA / ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – Airline Swiss announced Tuesday 27 March that it will be increasing long haul flight fares 2 April, by CHF10-30 in economy class and CHF50-100 in business, for flights from Switzerland.
Changes in the market account for the price hikes, says the company, which notes that first class fares and special offers are not affected.
EasyJet confirmed Monday that it will begin a trial of allocating seats on five lines, possibly including Geneva, in April. The plan was announced last December, but losses in the airline industry have put some plans on hold.
BERN, SWITZERLAND – The number of cross-border (frontalier) workers in Switzerland rose by 11.5 percent from the last quarter of 2010 to the same period in 2011, the federal government announced Monday 5 March. Numbers rose 4 percent in one quarter alone. (full report, Fr)
The Lake Geneva region has more than 87,000 workers living in France, of the total 259,000 cross-border workers, making it the area with the largest numbers, but also the greatest percentage. Basel follows, with 66,000 and Ticino has 55,000.
More than half of the cross-border population works in service industries, outstripping manufacturing and agriculture.
The new numbers follow an announcement by Bern 2 March that it will begin to impose sanctions as part of work related to the free movement of labour in Europe. Employers who abuse workers by paying lower salaries or not respecting work condition norms will be sanctioned, as will anyone who claims to be self-employed without showing adequate proof from his or her country of resident, and anyone who employs them.
A fictive self-employment status, sometimes a ploy used by cross-border workers and their employers means that social security taxes and possibly other taxes are not being paid by the employee, in which case the employer is held responsible for trying to avoid announcing an employee to Swiss tax authorities.
13-year high in car sales in Switzerland in 2010
New cars in Switzerland: December 2011 registrations were all-time record
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The Swiss Automobile Importers Association has come out firmly against Bern’s announcement last week that the autoroute sticker (road tax) price will jump from CHF40 to 100. Its argument, in aligning itself with truckers associations, is that some of the road tax money will be used to finance the country’s rail system starting in 2030, but the group also argues that the federal coffers have a reserve of 1.7 billion for roads and the tax should not be increased until this falls to CHF0.5 billion.
The rationale for the announced increase is to speed up road improvements that are needed as the number of cars on the road grows quickly. The importers association has just published figures showing that the past two years have seen a significant hike in the number of cars imported into Switzerland, which does not have a major car manufacturing company of its own.
The Swiss Automobile Importers Association notes that in 2011 the country imported and sold 318,958 and by comparison in 2010 the figure was 294,239 cars. The 2011 sales show a 10.6 percent increase in the past two years, with a year-on-year increase of 8.4 percent in 2011 alone.
Last year was the first in a decade when more than 300,000 new cars were registered in Switzerland and the only previous years when sales were higher were 1988, 1989 and 1990. December 2011 is the best sales month that the importers association has ever recorded.
The association points out that new Swiss CO2 reduction regulations for cars go into effect in May 2012 and must be applied to all new cars registered as of 1 July 2012. The change aligns Switzerland with European Union regulations. The one exception is cars brough in from abroad that were registered abroad at least six months before they are imported.
Switzerland had 1.6 percent more cars in 2010 than in 2009, but gasoline consumption was down, in favour of diesel and renewable source products (here: electric car at the Grimsel pass)
BERN, SWITZERLAND – Switzerland consumed 4.4 percent more energy in 2010, including a 4 percent increase for electricity, says the Swiss Federal Energy Office.
Three main factors contributed to the rise, it notes in a statement issued Tuesday 28 June: continuing population growth, economic growth with industrial consumption up, and colder weather than usual during the 2010-11 winter.
Degree-days of heating were up 12.7 percent compared to 2009. GDP grew 2.6 percent in 2010 compared to a fall of 1.9 percent the previous year. And the population grew 1 percent during the year, with 1.6 percent more vehicle owners.
Running a car in Switzerland is about to cost more, but the roads will remain in good shape, says Bern
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Switzerland will integrate another 400 km of roads into the federal road system by 2015, but at a cost: the larger network plus growing traffic will cost the Swiss Confederation some CHF275 million francs in maintenance.
The financing solution decided on by the Federal Council is to introduce a two-tiered road tax for the autoroute, the Swiss equivalent of tolls. An annual tax sticker will cost CHF100 rather than today’s CHF40 and a two-month CHF40 sticker, mainly for tourists, will be added.
Bern says it is also considering introducing an electronic tax system, where a license plate is registered in the system and scanned by autoroute cameras.
The two-tiered system will require more surveillance, the council notes.
The package of new measures now goes to interested groups for consultation, since the changes require an amendment to the law.
The roads that will become part of the system are:
- H21 Martigny – Gd. St-Bernard
- H15 Schaffhausen – Thayngen
- H6 Bern/Schönbühl – Biel
- H20 Neuchâtel -Le Locle – Col des Roches
- H223 Spiez – Kandersteg
- H509 Goppenstein – Gampel
- H338 (Hirzel) Baar – Wädenswil
- H394 Mendrisio – Stabio / Gaggiolo
- H406, H13 Bellinzona – Locarno
- H14 Grüneck – Meggenhus
- Semi-autoroute cantonale A53 Brüttisellen – Wetzikon – Rüti
- Semi-autoroute cantonale A53 Rüti ZH – Reichenburg
- H8 St. Gallen – Winkeln – Appenzell
- H18 Delémont Est – Hagnau
- H17 Niederurnen – Glarus
- H2 Pratteln – Liestal – Sissach
- H5 Aarau – Aarau-Ost
- H417, H3 Thusis – Silvaplana
- H10 Thielle – Murten
Neuchatel, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The number of people living across the border and working in Switzerland rose by 4.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010, compared to a year earlier. The total number of cross-border workers at the end of 2010 was 231,800, new figures by the federal statistics office show.
Keeping up Swiss traditions, abroad
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The number of Swiss who officially reside outside the country rose in 2010 by 10,127 to 695,101. The vast majority, more than 500,000, are dual nationals.
Switzerland has a population of 7.4 million, making the Swiss abroad nearly 10 percent of the total population.
The 1.5 percent increase concerns mainly people holding dual citizenship, 87 percent.
Europe was the region with the greatest increase of Swiss abroad last year.
The largest community of Swiss abroad resides in France (181,462), followed by Germany (77,827), Italy (49,187), Great Britain (29,505), Spain (23,886) and Austria (14,343). Outside Europe, the largest number of Swiss nationals lives in the USA (75,252), Canada (39,186), Australia (23,076), Argentina (15,690), Brazil (14,794), Israel (14,672) and South Africa (9,071).
Diesel and hybrid vehicles growing in favour
Neuchatel, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Swiss drivers registered 5.4 million motor vehicles in 2010, up 42 percent compared to the number on roads in 1990.
Surprisingly, given the additions to the pool of cars, the average age of a Swiss car is 8.2 years and slowly rising.
The number of cars increased to 4.1 million last year from 4 million in 2009, the year the country crossed the line to having more than one car for every two people, despite the country’s reputation for having the densest public transport system in the world.
It was also the year that saw the smallest increase, 0.5 percent, due to the global economic slowdown.
Motorcycles and cars with diesel and hybrid engines have become more popular, the figures published by the Federal Statistical Office Monday 14 February show. Diesel cars made up 18 percent of all cars registered iun Switzerland30 September 2010, the day the auto census was taken.
The most dramatic change has been the number of scooters driven in Switzerland, which increased 20-fold in 20 years. They now account for 37 percent of all motorcycles registered.
Motorcycles overall more than doubled their numbers, 118 percent, during the period.
Geneva setting record for number of babies born
Mother and baby, Lake Geneva
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Geneva’s HUG (university hospitals) expects to end 2010 with 4,010 births recorded, and by noon 31 December the number was at 4,006, reports ats/TSR.
The number is the highest ever, at Swtizerland’s largest maternity hospital, with the news agency explaining the boom by saying women are having more children, the city’s population is growing, and more women are opting for lower cost insurance coverage and skipping private or semi-private care.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Consumers will need to look more closely at prices in Switzerland during the first three months of 2011, says the federal government, which 8 December is issuing guidelines for retailers and other product and service sellers affected by a change in the value-added tax rates. The rates rise 1 January 2011 but stores and service providers have three months to mark the new price. In the meantime, the TVA posted in old sales catalogues and price lists may differ from the one charged to the buyer. Sellers are required by law to note clearly that the tax rate charged may differ from the one listed.
The new rates:
- regular TVA goes from 7.6 to 8 percent, a 0.4 percent increase
- the reduced rate for certain products goes from 2.4 to 2.5 percent, up 0.1 percent
- the special rate for hospitality services, mainly hotels, goes up from 3.6 to 3.8 percent, a 0.2 percent increase.
Students heading to university in England will see a sharp increase in fees, currently capped at £3,290 a year, if Parliament approves the government’s proposal, announced 3 November. The new fees would go into effect in 2012 and would be capped at £6,000, although universities showing they were doing enough to help poorer students could charge as much as £9,000. The new fees system would require students to pay back part of the cost of their education once their income rises above £21,000, but it includes a rule that students would be penalized for early repayment, to avoid wealthier students opting out of the system.
New safety slogan: be careful, it’s Monday
Watch out: it's Monday morning
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Ever had that feeling that it might be better to stay in bed Monday morning, not get out into those traffic jams or fight those battles at work? Now you have the proof: Monday mornings are just not safe! And they are expensive, costing Swiss work insurance company Suva CHF10 million a year.
The company registers some 700 accidents at work on a normal work day, but Mondays, between 06:00 and 10:00 Suva sees an additional 45 accidents, with 07:00-08:00 the worst time, when accidents increase by 40 percent.
The main causes are people falling or tripping, at home, en route to work or at work, accidents which increase by 80 to 90 percent between 06:00 and 08:00 Monday.
Men and women are affected equally, as are all age groups. Switzerland has 300,000 such accidents a year, for an insurance cost of CHF1 million.
Average number of work-related accidents by day of the week and hour of the day (source: Suva)
The figures cover 1999-2008 and are culled from a survey of Suva’s customers, who account for half of Switzerland’s working population.
Suva notes that there could be several explanations. Perhaps people tend to do more dangerous work early Monda. But other evidence appears to rule this out.
A more plausible explanation, according to the insurance company, is offered by professor Juergen Zulley t the Medical Centre for Sleep in Regensburg, Germany.
He suggests that our internal clocks are off on Monday mornings, most likely from sleeping in late over the weekend.
The solution? Get up at your usual work time on Saturday and Sunday, so you’re not sluggish and off-schedule early Monday.
Suva admits that convincing us to maintain our work week rhythm on weekends is a tough task. The alternative, it says, is to be extra-careful on Monday mornings.
The UK economy picked up in the second quarter of 2010, thanks in large part to the biggest rise in construction in nearly 50 years. New figures published by the Office for National Statistics Friday 23 July show a 1.1 percent GDP increase over the previous quarter, the largest such quarterly rise in four years, and a 1.6 percent increase over the same period a year earlier.
Links to other sites: Financial Times, Reuters
Unpaid bills sent to collectors rose 2%
Neuchatel, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Fallout from the global economic crisis is showing up in figures released 31 May by from the Swiss Federal Statistical office, which shows an 8 percent increase in bankruptcies filed in 2009 compared to a year earlier. The office also released bill collection figures, with a 2 percent increase, some 2.5 million orders to collect bills.
The number of bankruptcies filed was nearly 12,000, with 843 more than in 2008, a 10-year high. Ticino saw the sharpest increase, 26 percent, but Zurich was also high, up 18 percent.
Nationwide, losses in 2009 from bankruptcies were lower, down 12 percent for a difference of CHF305.8 million, but the overall figures hides steep increases in cantons Geneva and Vaud, up 66 percent and 55 percent respectively. Geneva showed losses of CHF551.5m and Vaud CHF390.5m out of total losses for Switzerland of CHF2.1 billion.
Your place or mine? We're both likely to have DVD players
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The Swiss love their DVDs: the country imported a record number of DVD players in 2009, 1.2 million. The number has doubled in just under six years and today every third household has a DVD player.
The DVD players had a total value of CHF175 million, but the machines themselves have been getting both lighter and less costly: the price fell from CHF187 on average in 2005 to CHF149 in 2009 and the weight dropped from 5 kilos to half that.
Zurich International Airport, Switzerland
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Passenger traffic at Zurich Airport was up 9.7 percent in March over the same period a year earlier, the airport announced late Wednesday. Local traffic was up 10.1 percent and transit traffic rose by 9 percent. In total, the airport serviced 1.82 million passengers.
The occupancy rate, a key figure for airlines’ profitability, rose by 4.4 percent to 71.6 percent overall.
Figures for the first three months of the year show travel rebounding, with passengers up by 8.4 percent and the movements of planes up 2.8 percent.
Fraud, property crimes account for rise; La Poste used more heavily
Update 11:45 Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The number of suspicious financial transactions reported to Swiss authorities rose by 5.3 percent in 2009 to a record number of 896 cases worth CHF2.23 billion. Banks accounted for two-thirds of the reports and the payment service sector the rest. A high 89 percent of all cases reported were referred to prosecutors after initial investigations. “This figure betrays the fact that most suspicion reports were justified and well-substantiated,” says the annual report from MROS (the Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland).
The payment service sector is made up of providers and money transmitters, such as Western Union. Reports from the latter fell by 40 percent while reports from “providers” rose by 35 percent. There is just one “provider” in Switzerland: the Post. But a very high 97 percent of reports from providers were forwarded to prosecuting authorities, Bern points out.
Two large transactions are being investigated, which drove up the monetary amount sharply:
Australia’s central bank announced Tuesday 6 October that it is raising its key interest rate from 3.00 to 3.25 percent, and analysts say more increases are on the way. The Reserve Bank cited improved economic conditions and a stronger Australian economy. The country thus becomes the first in the group of 20 major economies, the G20 countries, to raise rates after the cuts seen worldwide in the past 12 months. The Age reports that if banks pass along the rate hike to clients it will mean Aus$40 a month more on a home loan of Aus$300,000.
Links to other sites: ABC News, Australia, The Age, Financial Times
The chicken could cost a little more after 27 September
Geneva/Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The latest and second poll taken for Swiss television, TSR, two weeks before Swiss voters head for the polls, shows 50 percent ready to say yes to a temporary sales tax increase to finance the deficit of the federal disability insurance programme, the AI. Far fewer, 32 percent, are clearly opposed, but the remaining 18 percent are undecided.
Voters decide 27 September on a 0.4 percent increase to the sales tax from 2011 to 2017. The current rate varies but most items are taxed at a rate of 7.6 percent. Cantons and communes, the two other levels of Swiss government, do not charge sales tax.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The ruling Federal Council 11 June accepted the recommendation of the finance and tax commission to delay by a year a Swiss sales tax increase, to 1 January 2011. The temporary increase will be put to voters in September. It is a mixed package whose details are not yet decided, designed to offset the deficit of the federal disability fund’s deficit. The current rate is 7.6 percent but there are exceptions, such as the hotel industry, whose lower rate looks likely to remain in place with the temporary overall increase, scheduled to run until the end of 2017.
