Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
I hope that inflation has not hit you hard where you live. Maybe you've been fortunate enough to even get a pay hike.
In Switzerland, the rise in cost of living along with stagnant salaries have taken a toll on the Christmas budget. Swiss households are expected to spend less on Christmas gifts this year.
In the news: Dissatisfied refugees, more solidarity, satisfied unions and EU optimism.
- Around a third of Ukrainian refugees External linkin Switzerland hope one day to return to their country of origin, according to a survey. The majority, 40%, are undecided on the matter while another third do not wish to return to their country.
- Solidarity in Switzerland has increased significantly since the Covid-19 pandemicExternal link. According to Swiss Solidarity, there was a wave of solidarity shortly after the outbreak of war in Ukraine. However, this has considerably weakened over time.
- Overall, Swiss trade unions satisfied with wage negotiationsExternal link in 2023. Real wages should rise slightly in 2024, but there are still some significant exceptions. For the economy as a whole, however, real wages will stagnate after three years of falling purchasing power.
- The European Union’s (EU) ambassador to Switzerland, Petros Mavromichalis, is confident that a future package of agreements between Switzerland and the EU will be concludedExternal link. For Mavromichalis, what Switzerland stands to gain is essentially the preservation and strengthening of a relationship model with the EU that is tailor-made to suit it.
Christmas budget: Less festive cheer to go around
The average gifting budget has fallen to CHF411 ($473), down from last year’s record of CHF500. Consumer morale is being weighed down by inflation, rising health costs and general economic uncertainty, according to a study released by the GfK institute on Monday. In all, 40% of those questioned expect to spend less on gifts External linkand a third expect to donate less to charitable organisations than in previous years.
Complicated booking: International travel by train
Perhaps some of you are visiting Switzerland this time of year and want to take advantage of your trip to travel around Europe. With flying becoming such a stressful experience, perhaps a train journey is a more attractive option.
However, booking is not so straightforward even if you can theoretically access the rail services of neighbouring countries, as well as Benelux countries, Denmark and the Czech Republic, plus the Eurostar connection to London and those with the TGV to Barcelona.
You’ll have to go the Swiss Federal Railways travel centres to get all your tickets because it is not possible on the app until next year. Public broadcaster SRF offers some tips External linkon how best to navigate the European rail network.
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