Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
It is considered indiscreet in Switzerland to ask a stranger how much they earn. But the Federal Statistical Office’s latest salary survey gives a clear picture of wages.
We then look at job cuts at Novartis and Swissmedic, before ending with one of the population’s most eagerly followed democratic rituals: the choice of the “bird of the year”.
The median wage in Switzerland rose to CHF7,204 ($8,901) per month in 2024 for a full-time job, compared with CHF6,788 in 2022. This is according to the latest Federal Statistical Office (FSO) survey, which highlights significant differences across sectors and regions.
In Zurich, for example, the median wage is CHF7,502, while it is CHF5,708 in Ticino. Sectors with high added value pay considerably more, including pharmaceuticals (CHF10,159), banking (CHF10,723) and tobacco (CHF14,304). At the bottom end are retail (CHF5,214), accommodation (CHF4,715), catering (CHF4,744) and personal services (CHF4,496).
For positions with responsibility, foreign workers tend to earn more than Swiss nationals. Cross-border commuters (G permit) in senior roles earned CHF11,207, compared with CHF10,989 for Swiss employees. In jobs without managerial duties, the situation is reversed (CHF6,765 for Swiss staff versus CHF5,950 for cross-border commuters).
Since 2018, the FSO has observed a gradual narrowing of the gender wage gap. In 2024, women earned 8.4% less (median) than men in comparable positions, compared with 9.5% in 2022, 10.8% in 2020 and 11.5% in 2018. However, the higher the position, the wider the gap: in senior roles, the difference was 14% in 2024.
Swiss-Tunisian Mustapha Djemali, 81, has been sentenced to two years in prison in Tunisia. He will be released immediately, as he has already spent 20 months in detention.
The verdict “is unjust, but we are very relieved because it is relatively light. The important thing is that he will be released from prison tonight,” his daughter, Yusra Djemali, told the Keystone-SDA news agency.
Djemali has been held since May 2024 on charges of forming a criminal organisation accused of facilitating the illegal placement of migrants. This refers to the Tunisian Refugee Council (CTR), an NGO founded in 2016 and funded almost entirely by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and supported by several European countries. The CTR carried out preliminary assessments of asylum applications for the UNHCR and provided emergency accommodation and medical support.
His arrest, along with that of a dozen other humanitarian workers, was strongly condemned by Amnesty International, which called the case “emblematic of the growing repression against human rights defenders and humanitarian staff that has characterised Tunisia since 2021”.
Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis announced today that it will cut 550 jobs in Switzerland by 2027 after deciding to halt tablet production and sterile-medicine packaging at its site in Stein, located in canton Aargau.
Automation will be increased at the plants concerned. The measures are subject to consultation, and Novartis says it will offer an extended social plan for affected employees until 2028.
Trade union UNIA reacted quickly, calling the move shameful and incomprehensible. “It is scandalous that production and packaging staff must pay the price so that already high profits can be increased further to satisfy shareholders’ greed,” the union wrote.
On the same day, Swissmedic – Switzerland’s therapeutic products agency – announced it will cut 45 jobs over the next two years, about 10% of its workforce. Revenues have not kept pace with rising costs. Swissmedic is 80% self-financed, with the federal government contributing 17%.
The people have spoken – not in an initiative or referendum, but in BirdLife’s annual “bird of the year” vote. For 2026, in a remarkably tight race, the kingfisher came out on top.
Some 18,000 people took part, and only 53 votes separated the kingfisher (30.47%) from the dipper (30.19%). There is no runoff.
The kingfisher is rare in Switzerland and appears on the red list of endangered species due to its small population, although numbers have recovered slightly in recent years.
The biggest problem facing this brightly coloured bird is the loss of suitable habitats. Most rivers and many streams in Switzerland have been channelled, concreted or even buried. Protecting the kingfisher therefore requires preserving or restoring natural river landscapes with their own ecological dynamics.
The first episode of our new podcast “Ade merci, Schweiz” is out now!
If you’re a Swiss who’s planning on moving abroad, or you’ve already set up another life in a new country, our podcast is just what you need. We meet experts and Swiss who’ve already experienced international relocation, and we find out what it takes to thrive in a different setting.
The first episode is out today: you can watch it or listen in Swiss German or French in the SWIplus app, or wherever you get your podcasts.
We talk about the pain of separation – and what to do about it – with psychotherapist Rodrigo Carrillo, plus we hear from Swiss abroad, Adani Abutto, about the psychologically intensive experience of moving to the US.
Check out the first episode now and don’t forget to subscribe, so you don’t miss a thing.
Translated from Italian using DeepL/amva/ts
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