Real wages set to rise in Switzerland for first time in three years
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.
Switzerland abstains from vote on Palestinian bid for full UN membership
This content was published on
On Friday, Switzerland abstained from the vote at the General Assembly on granting the Palestinians new rights at the United Nations (UN).
Protein in abdominal fat could help shape obesity treatment
This content was published on
The study analysed fat cells from different locations in the body, and found that those in the abdomen have unique properties.
North African asylum claims fall after rapid Swiss processing
This content was published on
The accelerated procedure, now out of its test phase, has resulted in a significant drop in applications from North African countries.
This content was published on
The artist's song "The Code" focuses on their journey as a nonbinary individual. It is one of the favourites to win this year's contest.
Swiss climate activists block vehicles near Gotthard tunnel
This content was published on
Around ten climate activists briefly blocked the A2 motorway near the northern entrance of the Gotthard tunnel on Thursday.
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.