Real wages set to rise in Switzerland for first time in three years
Is it too early for Swiss workers to crack open the champagne over wages?
Keystone / Martin Ruetschi
Employees in Switzerland are expected to receive above-inflation pay rises for the first time since 2016, according to a survey of companies. On average, workers are forecast to take home a 1.1% pay hike – a rise of 0.9% when taking inflation into account.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/mga
Español
es
Salarios deben aumentar en Suiza por primera vez en tres años
These are the findings of research portal Lohntendenzen.chExternal link, as reported by the NZZ am SonntagExternal link newspaper. The findings point to companies allowing employees to take a share of profits. The top 20 firms in Switzerland have handed out record dividends of CHF40 billion ($40 billion) this year, the newspaper reports.
But the expected wage hikes are not evenly spread around industries. The winners will be information technology employees (+1.3% real hikes), the pharmaceutical and chemical branches (+1.1%), followed by workers at banks and insurance companies (+1%).
People working in the hospitality industry will have to make do with an average real salary rise of +0.4% while teachers can only expect to receive +0.3%.
Employees have more reason to celebrate, according to Lohntendenzen.ch, as they benefit from more flexible working hours and longer holidays than ever before.
However, Switzerland’s image as a land of plenty has been questioned by some. The tax administration earlier this year admitted that wealth is not being evenly distributed, with inequality getting worse.
What can be done to protect biodiversity in your country?
Swiss voters are set to decide on a people’s initiative calling for better protection of ecosystems in the country. Have your say on the September 22 vote.
Green Liberal party members criticise handling of Ameti affair
This content was published on
Some Green Liberals say the party acted too quickly after Zurich politician Sanija Ameti fired shots at an image of Jesus and Mary.
This content was published on
Switzerland has a new supercomputer named "Alps", officially inaugurated on Saturday at the National Supercomputing Centre in Lugano.
Cold front leads to record-low temperatures in Switzerland
This content was published on
Friday's cold front caused record temperatures and closed mountain passes. The snow line was between 1,200 and 1,500m on Saturday, MeteoSwiss reported.
Collecting of vote signatures to continue in Switzerland as planned
This content was published on
The Swiss government is refraining from taking drastic emergency measures following the revelation of suspected cases of fraud.
Swiss VAT to rise by 0.7 points to finance 13th pension payment
This content was published on
VAT is to be increased by 0.7 percentage points in Switzerland to finance the 13th monthly pension payment. This payment will be introduced in 2026.
Swiss rents expected to keep rising owing to low vacancy rates
This content was published on
Although the decline in vacancies has slowed this year, it is likely to continue next year, according to UBS. As a result, rents are expected to continue to rise.
Swiss government wants to support cantons financially after storms
This content was published on
The Swiss government wants to secure additional financial aid for cantons Graubünden, Ticino, Valais, Vaud and Bern following the severe storms last summer.
Eight years for parents who killed disabled daughter in Switzerland
This content was published on
A couple who killed their severely disabled daughter in Hägglingen, northern Switzerland, have each been sentenced to eight years in prison.
Report warns of rising wealth inequality in Switzerland
This content was published on
Swiss households are becoming wealthier, but inequalities are increasing between the rich and poor, the Swiss Tax Administration warns.
Big firms required to publish gender pay gap in 2021
This content was published on
Large companies in Switzerland will have to analyse wages of men and women starting in 2020 and make the audited results available to staff in 2021.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.