Local Aargau government calls to preserve pharma jobs after Novartis cuts

Canton Aargau official says it is Increasingly difficult to keep jobs in the pharma industry Keystone-SDA

The local government of the Swiss canton Aargau has expressed regret at the decision by Swiss pharma giant Novartis to cancel 550 jobs in the canton.

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“A job reduction of this magnitude hits the canton and Fricktal (region in Aargau) hard as a location for the pharmaceutical industry,” says Dieter Egli, head of the department of economy and interior in the northern canton of Aargau.

“For Switzerland, a country with a high wage level, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain jobs in the manufacturing industry,” adds the Social Democratic party politician, quoted in a statement. “For this reason, even in the canton of Aargau, further efforts are needed to promote the region in order to ensure long-term growth and to preserve jobs.”

The news of the workforce cuts is considered “particularly worrying in light of the current world market situation, in which the pharmaceutical industry is under pressure due to the price debate”.

But there is still hope for the canton of Aargau: Novartis has announced that it will invest a further $26 million (CHF21 million) in the production of sterile administration devices at its Stein site. This shows, according to the local government, that the company is convinced of the quality of the site.

“We expect Novartis to do everything possible to minimise job cuts and find socially acceptable solutions for those affected,” said Egli, in view of the upcoming consultation procedure with the social partners and the company.

Translated from Italian by DeepL/jdp

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