Is Switzerland really the richest country in the world, and why are many dairy foods missing from Migros — these are among the news that The Local reported this week.
Just how wealthy are Switzerland’s residents?
Even though Switzerland is once again ranked the wealthiest country on earth, with per-capita assets exceeding any other nation’s, the reality doesn’t bear this out.
In fact, not everyone in Switzerland is a millionnaire.
About 8 percent of the population, for instance, live below the official poverty line
Overall, however, Switzerland’s wages, standard of living and purchasing power are higher than in other European countries.
READ ALSO: Are people in Switzerland really the world’s richest?
What’s the reason for many empty Migros shelves?
Many dairy shelves in Migros supermarkets across Switzerland are bare at the moment.
For instance, many shelves in the yoghurt and cheese sections remain empty due to IT problems causing delivery disruptions.
Concretely, the Elsa Group, which is owned by the Migros Group, recently migrated to a different software provider, and things haven’t run as smoothly as hoped.
The disruption to deliveries also means that many products are spoiling before they can make it to shops. These products have been donated to charities, while any unfinished products that couldn’t be delivered have become pig feed.
READ ALSO: Why there’s a food shortage in Switzerland’s Migros supermarkets
Traffic jams on Swiss motorways are becoming worse and worse
New government data confirms that the number of traffic jams in Switzerland has exploded in recent years.
For instance, in 2024 alone, motorists travelled a total of 29.8 billion kilometres on Swiss motorways: the vast majority —25 billion kilometres — are attributable to passenger cars. That is 0.6 percent more than during the previous year.
Typically, Zurich and the A1 motorway are notorious for heavy traffic, as is the Gotthard Tunnel road, especially on long weekends and national holidays.
Motorists driving on the A2 motorway, which connects Basel to Chiasso, are also no strangers to bottlenecks.
READ ALSO: The numbers that reveal how bad traffic on Swiss motorways has become
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Which areas of Switzerland are most prone to landslides?
In the wake of the Blatten landslide, which almost flattened the Swiss Alpine village, there is increased focus on other potentially dangerous areas.
In the cantons of Bern and Graubünden alone, almost 200 landslide-prone mountain slopes are currently under observation – sometimes around the clock.
That’s because higher temperatures are causing glaciers to melt and permafrost to thaw, making mountains increasingly unstable.
READ ALSO: The areas in the Swiss Alps most at risk from landslides
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Geneva’s minimum wage law is under threat
The canton of Geneva has Switzerland’s highest minimum wage, but a vote in the Swiss parliament could pave the way for it to be scrapped altogether.
The National Council has voted in favour of collective labour agreements taking precedence over cantonal minimum wages that were brought in by popular vote.
That means that the minimum wages in the cantons of Geneva, Neuchâtel, and Ticino, among others, could eventually be scrapped if the move is backed the Council of States.
READ ALSO: Swiss parliamentary vote could spell the end of Geneva’s minimum wage
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Is Switzerland’s new zero-percent interest rate good for consumers?
The central bank announced it was cutting its interest rate from 0.25 to 0 percent.
This move has both negative and positive effect on the country’s households.
Among the negative impacts is that savings and other investments will not generate any income.
On the plus side, the eurozone and other countries will become cheaper for Swiss tourists, as the exchange rate will be favourable for the franc.
As for rents, they are not expected to drop any time soon.
READ ALSO: What Switzerland’s new zero-percent interest rate will mean for you
