Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
It’s probably a coincidence, but much of our selection of Swiss news on Tuesday revolves around professions – whether celebrated, dangerous, or endangered.
Internationally, the most talked-about event – as in the Swiss press – is the anniversary of the terrorist attack by Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023.
Compared to many other countries, the Swiss economy is proving resilient, especially when it comes to the unemployment rate. Overall, it’s holding up well at a time of gloomy economic prospects. However, a few statistics put a damper on this reassuring picture.
According to the latest figures by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, the jobless rate held steady at 2.8% in September. But the number of people actually out of work rose by 0.9% compared with the previous month. The situation becomes more worrying when the figures are compared to last year: in September 2025, 133,233 people were unemployed – that’s 19,988 more (+17.7%) than in September 2024.
Different parts of the country are affected to differing degrees. While the unemployment rate is 2.4% in German-speaking Switzerland, it averages 3.9% in French- and Italian-speaking regions. Cantons strongly dependent on exports are particularly hard hit; Jura, at 5%, has the highest jobless rate in the country. The situation also varies by sector: the watchmaking, machinery, metals and electrical equipment industries are impacted more.
Most economic indicators – including growth and consumption – remain positive. For many analysts, the rise in unemployment should thus be seen as a sign of several clouds hanging over the export industry: the strength of the Swiss franc, the slowdown in the Chinese economy and, of course, US tariffs. According to forecasts, the unemployment rate could rise to 2.9% by the end of the year and to 3.3% next year.
Despite all the safety measures and rules in place, workplace accidents in Switzerland remain frequent. According to figures, there were 286,000 occupational accidents and 607,000 non-occupational accidents involving employees in 2023. In total, these events cost insurance companies CHF6.9 billion ($8.65 billion).
“Basik”, the business programme by French-speaking Swiss public broadcaster, RTS, has looked at the country’s most hazardous jobs. The upshot? Logging is the most dangerous profession in Switzerland, the statistics show, with more than one in three lumberjacks suffering an accident at work in 2023.
Unsurprisingly, many occupations requiring the use of machinery feature in the top ten most dangerous: construction, carpentry, civil engineering and agriculture in particular. Other activities don’t necessarily spring to mind when we talk about dangerous work, such as sports coaching, careers counselling, and dry cleaning.
The good news is that prevention campaigns, oversight, the introduction of appropriate legislation and technical progress have led to a drastic reduction in the number of work-related accidents, which has been divided by five since the 1960s.
One job takes pride of place in the Swiss press this Tuesday: chef. On Monday, the Swiss edition of the famous Gault-Millau culinary guide named the “Chef of the Year 2026” – Frenchman Jérémy Desbraux, who rules the roost in the kitchen at the Maison Wenger restaurant in Le Noirmont, canton Jura.
Desbraux, 39, won the title with 18 points out of a total of 20. “The 18-point chef does a remarkable job of celebrating the region’s producers,” writes Gault-Millau in a press release.
The award also highlights Le Noirmont’s place in the Swiss culinary scene. This small municipality has just 1,957 inhabitants, 13 of whom are chefs. It’s not the first time it has been honoured with a “Chef of the Year” gong: in 1997, Georges Wenger got it.
In addition to “Chef of the Year”, the guide issues several other awards, one of which is of particular interest to readers around the world: that of “Swiss Star Abroad”. This time, the distinction goes to Cyril Bettschen from St Gallen, who works at the Restaurant Bareiss in Baiersbronn, in the Black Forest, one of Germany’s most prestigious gastronomic establishments.
On October 7, most Swiss and international media have focussed on the terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel exactly two years ago, claiming the lives of 1,219 people and marking the worst massacre ever suffered by the Hebrew state.
Two years on, the situation remains deadlocked, with Israeli hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian population still under heavy fire from the Israeli army, with a death toll in the tens of thousands. The anniversary is thus an opportunity for many to call for an end to the conflict.
In Switzerland, the president launched an appeal for peace in the Middle East. “It is high time to end the violence,” Karin Keller-Sutter wrote on X today. Keller-Sutter also called on Hamas to free the hostages and added that “our thoughts are with all those suffering”.
Elsewhere, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday that the last ten Swiss nationals being held by Israeli authorities after attempting to reach Gaza by boat had been released. They have been sent to Jordan, where they are now being looked after by the Swiss embassy. Their transfer to Switzerland is scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday. Nine other Swiss participants in the Gaza flotilla had already been able to return.
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