Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
I am hosting my first-ever pub quiz this weekend, and today’s briefing has given me plenty of inspiration for possible questions.
For example: What was the average monthly cost of Swiss health insurance premiums in 2000? The answer is CHF177 ($213), adjusted for inflation. Today, the average cost is CHF412 ($496). And while many households are struggling to budget for rising healthcare costs, many cantons are also projecting deficits in their 2027 budgets. Experts warn that the situation is expected to get worse in 2028.
Health insurance premiums will not making it into my pub quiz. Nothing brings down the mood faster than talking about money, especially the rising cost of living in Switzerland.
Sunny regards from Bern,
More than nine months after the Crans-Montana fire tragedy, the question of who will pay the CHF1.5 million ($1.8 million) bill for medical care provided to Italian victims remains contentious.
An international agreement between European countries sets out which country is responsible for covering medical treatment received abroad. Under the agreement, the costs would normally be borne by the patient’s country of residence. However, Italy has repeatedly stated that it will not pay, leaving the Swiss government uncertain about how to settle the bill.
Opinions are also divided in Swiss political circles. Liberal Green Party parliamentarian Céline Weber says the Federal Council should follow the international agreement to the letter. “These agreements apply not only when things are going well, but also when, unfortunately, problems arise. I expect Italy to abide by the agreements it has signed with Switzerland,” Weber told Swiss public broadcaster RTS.
However, Social Democratic Party parliamentarian Laurence Fehlmann Rielle says that, given the seriousness of the incident, Switzerland should cover the costs and “send a clear message and take responsibility for the victims”.
In total, 12 Italian victims were treated in Swiss hospitals following the fire, for varying lengths of time.
Rising health costs in Switzerland will not only put a strain on household budgets, but also on cantonal finances. Around half of the cantons expect to post deficits next year.
Among the cantons that have submitted their 2027 budgets, the largest deficits are projected in Geneva, at CHF546 million ($657 million), and Vaud, at an estimated CHF356 million.
Cantons Zug, Bern and Zurich have submitted budgets with surpluses of CHF291 million, CHF269 million and CHF207 million respectively. But while these figures may seem promising at first glance, the longer-term financial outlook is less positive, reports Swiss public broadcaster SRF.
A new financing system for outpatient and inpatient healthcare services is set to be introduced in 2028, requiring cantons to contribute to the costs of outpatient treatments. Additionally, since the beginning of the year, cantons have had to contribute more towards premium subsidies following the indirect counterproposal to the premium relief initiative. The federal government estimates that this will cost an additional CHF350 million annually. By 2030, these costs are expected to approach the billion-franc mark.
According to Ernst Stocker, president of the conference of cantonal finance directors, this is likely to have “significant implications for financial planning”.
The figures are not yet final: the budgets still need to be approved by the cantonal parliaments.
Between July 2025 and June 2026, almost 5,000 AI-related jobs were advertised on Swiss job portals, 32% more than the previous year. Surprisingly, most of the vacancies were not at large technology companies. Instead, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were a particularly strong driver of the boom.
A study published yesterday by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts shows that SMEs accounted for 76% of the increase in AI vacancies.
The public sector also saw an increase in AI-related positions. “The growth of AI jobs in the public sector suggests that policymakers and administrators are strengthening their confidence in AI as a future technology,” study author Curdin Derungs is quoted in the press release.
Regionally, Zurich was clearly in the lead with 2,181 job postings, representing 45% of all AI positions. This is perhaps unsurprising, as the canton is home to major global technology companies such as Google, Meta and Anthropic. Zurich was followed by Geneva, with around 620 positions, and Bern, with around 590.
Job titles such as Machine Learning Engineer and Data Engineer account for almost 40% of all vacancies.
However, not everyone is benefiting from the increased demand for talent. While the number of positions for experienced specialists rose by 42%, the market remains difficult for recent graduates. Only 5% of job postings were for permanent junior positions.
Swiss football captain Granit Xhaka has received a suspended financial penalty for obtaining a fake Covid-19 vaccination certificate to enter the United States in the summer of 2022.
The suspended penalty amounts to 50 daily penalty units of CHF3,000 ($3,610) each and will only be enforced if Xhaka commits another offence during the two-year probationary period.
Last month, it emerged that Xhaka had obtained a falsified Covid-19 vaccination certificate, which was required at the time to travel to the US. The 33-year-old football captain admitted wrongdoing and issued a public apology.
In a post on Instagram, Xhaka told followers that at the time he had “serious reservations about the Covid-19 vaccine” and that he “felt a deep mistrust of the vaccine and was gripped by fear and uncertainty”. He acknowledged that he had made a mistake by obtaining a vaccination certificate rather than “clarifying my outstanding questions through the proper channels”.
Following the decision, the footballer said he accepted responsibility for his actions. He confirmed that he had given a full statement to the public prosecutor, paid the court costs and accepted the verdict.
What consequences the decision will have for Xhaka’s football career remain unclear. “We have received notification of the public prosecutor’s decision,” the Swiss Football Association told the Keystone-SDA news agency.
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