A study reveals the extent of a wage gap in Switzerland; MPs vote in favour of financial aid for Geneva; and more news in our Tuesday roundup.
This is the extent of the wage gap in Switzerland
The CEOs of Switzerland’s largest companies earned an average of 18 percent more in 2024 than the year before, according to a study carried out by Unia trade union.
Average wages in Switzerland only rose by 1.8 percent during the same period, the study found.
On the other hand, the CEOs of the 39 largest Swiss corporations – including Novartis, UBS, Roche, and Nestlé, among others – earned an average of 143 times more than their lowest-paid employees.
For instance, the annual income of Novartis’ CEO was 333 times higher, while the salary of the UBS boss was ‘only’ 276 times higher than the lowest one in his company.
The National Council approves financial aid for Geneva
Deputies green-lighter a 100-million-franc aid for the period 2026–2029 to help UN organisations and NGO’s based in Geneva weather the crisis caused by the United States withdrawing from a number of international agencies.
“For several years we have witnessed the rise of authoritarian regimes and populist movements that openly call into question the foundations of the international order based on common law,” said MP Nicolas Walder.
“This has direct repercussions on the presence of international organisations in Switzerland, which is subject to increasingly fierce competition: faced with drastic budgetary choices, some players are questioning whether to continue their activities in our country, while other locations, particularly in Asia and the Middle East, offer more advantageous conditions.
READ ALSO: Could Geneva lose its UN organisations to foreign countries?
Therefore, preserving Geneva’s long-term attractiveness requires a timely and decisive response, especially before the relocation projects currently under consideration become irreversible, he added.
The Council of States will vote on this issue next.
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Residents of Basel-Country can save on health insurance costs – here’s how
Assura policyholders who will seek treatment only at their own cantonal hospital, instead of other medical facilities, will pay less for health insurance next year.
In other words, giving up the choice of medical providers and sticking with just one approved by the insurance carrier, can result in lower rates.
It is not yet known just how much of the savings can this model save.
It will become clear at the end of September, when the 2026 premiums will be released, as they are each year, by the Federal Office of Public Health.
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