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Why Switzerland is not “Nokia-Land”

This content was published on Feb 7, 2005 That is one of the key findings of a new book by IT and telecommunications expert Xavier Comtesse, who heads the Geneva office of the country’s leading think-tank, Avenir Suisse. In an interview with swissinfo, Comtesse says Swiss weakness in this key sector has substantial knock-on effects for the whole economy. He points out that…

Jobless figures send mixed message

This content was published on Feb 7, 2005 However, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) says the increase masks a more complex overall picture. Monthly figures published on Monday show that 162,000 people were officially registered as jobless in January – up 3,600 from December. The total number of people looking for jobs also increased by 1,990 to 229,624. The higher figure…

Swiss presents plans for pilot job cuts

This content was published on Feb 6, 2005 The announcement follows reports in the Sunday press that just over 300 pilots could lose their jobs. Swiss spokesman Jean-Claude Donzel said the company had handed over a document to the unions with details of how many jobs would be cut. The move was confirmed by Christoph Frick, the president of Swiss Pilots, the union…

Swiss offer cash for shelter in tsunami zone

This content was published on Feb 4, 2005 The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) said on Friday that up to 100,000 homeless people could benefit from the scheme. Officials presented the cash-for-shelter project as an alternative to housing people in camps, adding that it was cheaper to run and provided a family environment. In Sri Lanka, 9,600 families stand to receive…

Swiss banks shut out of oil-for-food contracts

This content was published on Feb 4, 2005 An interim report into the United Nations-run programme reveals that former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright intervened to prevent tenders for financial oversight being awarded to Credit Suisse or UBS. Geneva-based testing and inspection company SGS also lost out to a competitor in the Netherlands according to the report, which was published in New…

Trüb knows how to play its cards right

This content was published on Feb 4, 2005 Trüb is a specialist in debit, credit, identity and loyalty cards, and makes between 40 and 50 million a year. The firm, whose roots go back more than 140 years, is the producer of cards for all the leading banks in Switzerland. “We have also been responsible for the Swiss identity card since 1994. We…

Young jobless demand government action

This content was published on Feb 3, 2005 According to government figures, around 30,000 people between the ages of 15 and 24 are unemployed – a fifth of the total jobless figure for the country. On Thursday, a delegation from the Committee against Youth Unemployment handed the minister an open letter, with a list of proposals to get more young people back into…

Trade surplus boosted by strong exports

This content was published on Feb 3, 2005 The Federal Customs Office said the high volume of exports boosted the trade surplus by over a third last year, pushing it beyond SFr9.3 billion. Imports reached SFr132.4 billion. “Given the improved economy in Switzerland and abroad, the Swiss export trade reached its best result in four years in 2004,” said the Customs Office in…

Watch exports for 2004 reach record high

This content was published on Feb 3, 2005 This represents a jump of 9.2 per cent on 2003, underlining the strength of the sector’s recovery. “The year 2004 saw in particular two very strong monthly increases in June and August, as well as two successive records with the highest monthly values ever achieved, in October and November,” said the Biel-based Federation in a…

Swiss favour a family affair

This content was published on Feb 2, 2005 The survey revealed that the desire to get married remains strong in Switzerland, despite an increase in the divorce rate. But the study, carried out in September by the GfS polling institute in Zurich, also showed that the idea of couples living together out of wedlock was growing in popularity. Almost three-quarters of the 718…

Internal: Archive

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Internal: Archive

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Why Switzerland is not “Nokia-Land”

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Jobless figures send mixed message

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Swiss presents plans for pilot job cuts

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Swiss offer cash for shelter in tsunami zone

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Swiss banks shut out of oil-for-food contracts

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Trüb knows how to play its cards right

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Young jobless demand government action

More

Trade surplus boosted by strong exports

More

Watch exports for 2004 reach record high

More

Swiss favour a family affair

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