Flu is expected to hit Switzerland from mid-December; more than 80 percent of convicted thieves are foreigners, new data reveals; plus other news in our roundup this Friday.
Flu is expected to hit Switzerland from mid-December
The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) said on Thursday that it is anticipating the flu season to start in mid-December.
The scale of this wave remains, however, difficult to predict at this time, as it will depend on the population’s immunity, circulating virus variants, and weather.
It will also depend on whether Switzerland will get enough flu vaccines early enough in the season, as they are facing delivery delays.
READ: Will delays mean Switzerland lacks enough flu vaccines this winter?
Meanwhile, FOPH also reported that Covid cases, as well as incidents of respiratory viruses, are already on the rise.
Don’t miss our journalists’ daily news roundup from Switzerland
More than 80 percent of thieves convicted in Switzerland are foreigners, new data reveals
Criminal statistics for 2025 show a high proportion of non-permanent residents among the 7,956 theft convictions – a category that encompasses everything from stolen bicycles to ATM blow-ups.
According to criminologist Dirk Baier, “Criminal tourists come to Switzerland because they know that things are not well secured and people are not vigilant.”
READ MORE: Calls in Switzerland to boost border controls with France after spike in crime
Demand for artificial intelligence professionals soars
Over the past 12 months, nearly 5,000 AI-related job advertisements were posted in Switzerland – a 32-percent increase compared to the same period the previous year.
This is what emerges from the new Swiss AI Jobs Report published by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences.
According to the report, this growth is not limited to the IT sector—historically, the primary source of such roles.
Instead, the demand has risen across other industries as well, including finance and insurance, education and research, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, trade and logistics, engineering, industry, legal and business consulting, as well as healthcare.
Fribourg adopts a new ‘Official Languages Law’
After a close vote on Thursday, the French-speaking canton has adopted its first law of this kind, which defines conditions under which a municipality may designate its official language(s).
Concretely, the legislation states that a community with a linguistic minority of 10 percent for 25 years will be able to have both French and German as official languages following a public vote on this matter.
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