Workplace Switzerland

ICTs point to way out of unemployment trap

This content was published on Nov 29, 2003 But a group of underprivileged South African youths is hoping to prove the opposite, with the support of a Swiss-backed technology training scheme. Just over half of all South Africans aged between 15 and 30 are unemployed, according to the Swiss-South African Cooperation Initiative (SSACI). And of those job seekers, it’s estimated that 61 per…

Invalidity rules must change

This content was published on Nov 17, 2003 Experts say people who are temporarily unable to work should have their job kept open so as to prevent them from falling out of the job market permanently. They say a move in this direction would save money, and reduce the steadily rising ranks of people claiming invalidity pensions. One promising scheme is run by…

Older women hardest hit by salary gap

This content was published on Oct 30, 2003 The report found that this disparity was more pronounced in Switzerland than anywhere else in Europe. The study by the Employment Research Institute at Geneva University found that women over the age of 45 earn on average 35 per cent less than men of the same age. Women in general are paid 28 per cent…

Long-term unemployed pull together

This content was published on Oct 7, 2003 Unemployment is a hot issue in October’s parliamentary elections, especially for the long-term unemployed who make up 17 per cent of the overall jobless figure. Some 27 per cent of Swiss polled cited the worsening employment situation as their number one concern. This is certainly true of 33-year-old Mark Schmidt, who lives in the eastern…

Unions threaten autumn of discontent

This content was published on Oct 5, 2003 Vasco Pedrina, president of the construction workers’ union, told swissinfo that controversial welfare reforms had pushed employees to boiling point. Unions are incensed by proposals to cut pension benefits and raise the retirement age to 67. Last month more than 25,000 people protested in the Swiss capital, Bern, against the plans, put forward by the…

Pension debate looms large in run-up to election

This content was published on Oct 3, 2003 Last month more than 25,000 people protested in the Swiss capital, Bern, against government proposals to slash retirement benefits. A recent poll showed 42 per cent of the electorate cited pensions as the most important issue ahead of parliamentary elections on October 19. Swiss pensions are under pressure from a range of factors. Firstly, longer…

Women face retirement at 65

This content was published on Sep 25, 2003 The changes to the state pension scheme were agreed despite fierce opposition from centre-left and Green parties. Under the reforms, due to come into force in 2009, the retirement age for women will be raised from the current 63 to 65 years. The retirement age for men will remain at 65. Raising the retirement age…

Protesters tell Bern to leave pensions alone

This content was published on Sep 20, 2003 Demonstrators marched through the city centre on Saturday waving banners which read “Hands off our pensions!”, bringing traffic to a standstill. “There’s no motivation for us to work if we have to stay employed for longer and receive less pension money,” one woman told swissinfo. Her message was aimed at suggestions put forward by the…

Unemployment set to rise in Switzerland

This content was published on Sep 17, 2003 Worst affected will be women, single parents, the disabled, and first-time job seekers. The OECD predicts an increase in the jobless rate over the whole year of 0.8 per cent, from 2.3 per cent to 3.1 per cent. The report says an improvement in the job market is unlikely before 2004. Werner Aeberhardt, head of…

Rightwing attacks soaring invalidity claims

This content was published on Sep 15, 2003 The figures are providing ammunition for a campaign launched by the rightwing Swiss People’s Party against bogus claimants. According to statistics released by the Federal Social Insurance Office (SIO) on Monday, 465,000 people received invalidity benefit last year – 145,000 more than in 1992. During the same period, the SIO calculated that the probability of…

Workplace Switzerland

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Workplace Switzerland

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ICTs point to way out of unemployment trap

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Invalidity rules must change

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Older women hardest hit by salary gap

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Long-term unemployed pull together

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Unions threaten autumn of discontent

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Pension debate looms large in run-up to election

More

Women face retirement at 65

More

Protesters tell Bern to leave pensions alone

More

Unemployment set to rise in Switzerland

More

Rightwing attacks soaring invalidity claims

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