Faced with a lack of qualified workers, Swiss Federal Railways is paying its staff SFr2,500 ($2,804) to recommend candidates for interview.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch and agencies
According to a report in the Sonntag newspaper, employees get the money even if the person they put forward is not taken on. With 28,000 on the pay roll, Swiss Federal Railways is one of the country’s biggest employers.
A spokeswoman for the company said the measure was one of the most efficient ways to recruit new staff. Swiss Federal Railways is currently experiencing a staff shortage of several hundred people.
The cash incentive was introduced in 2007 when Swiss Railways had difficulty in finding engine mechanics, ticket inspectors and IT staff.
The company transported a record number of passengers in 2010, but appealed for investment after seeing earnings drop by nearly 20 per cent.
Passenger numbers were up six per cent to 347 million in 2010, with profits from passenger services rising from SFr280.6 million to SFr292.6 million.
Despite this, earnings fell to SFr298.3 million in 2010 as a result of investment in the group’s pension fund and infrastructure.
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.
Read more
More
Federal Railways to slash budget
This content was published on
The cost-cutting measures, in combination with more expensive tickets, are intended to help finance new rolling stock as well as higher access fees. The proposed savings total SFr550 million ($640 million). The company plans to reduce structural and administrative costs by SFr220 million by 2017, said CEO Andreas Meyer on Wednesday. “Efficiency will be improved,…
This content was published on
Now the debate is on to determine who should pay for what as frustrated commuters consider their options – including navigating the choked roads and motorways. Some 162,000 commuters travel to Zurich every day: 90,000 of them come by car, another 70,000 arrive via public transport. Meanwhile, 44,000 Zurich residents leave the city every day…
This content was published on
Raising the ticket price during peak hours is one of the solutions on the table, while another is an expansion of services offered by the Swiss Federal Railways. A typical day begins badly for many commuters. Seats are often only available for people who are lucky enough to get on the train at the first…
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.