Fewer foreigners have sought employment in Switzerland on the first half of 2025; many Swiss foods and drink manufacturers use less sugar in their products; and more news in our Friday roundup.
Immigration to Switzerland is ‘labour-market driven’
This finding – not exactly a great surprise – was confirmed by a new study released by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) on Thursday.
It reports that the share of foreigners who come to Switzerland for employment purposes from the EU and EFTA nations (Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein) remained very high in the first six months of 2025: by the end of June, 42,260 EU/EFTA workers had immigrated to Switzerland for long-term employment.
Though this a high number, it represents a 3.4-percent compared decrease from the first half of 2024.
The number of new EU/EFTA workers recruited for a period of less than 12 months fell by 4 percent. to 36,917.
Regarding quotas for third-country nationals, 33 percent (1,311) of available short-term L permits were given out from January to June, as well as 38 percent (1,693) of B permits.
Swiss food and beverage producers commit to using less sugar
On Thursday, 21 Swiss manufacturers have voluntarily re-committed to further reducing the sugar content of their food and drinks.
This action has already generated positive results, according to the government’s press release on Thursday: yogurts, milk-based drinks, breakfast cereals, and soft drinks “now contain significantly less sugar than they did 10 years ago.”
To date, the sugar reduction in cereals has reached almost 40 percent.
As for dairy products, yogurts now contain 13 percent less sugar and milk drinks, 14 percent less.
READ ALSO: What the Swiss government wants you to eat to stay healthy
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Huge traffic jams are expected around Basel this weekend
If you are planning to travel through Basel to Germany on Saturday and Sunday, you’ll have to be extra patient.
Due to the ongoing construction work, the eastern bypass of the A2 motorway between the Schwarzwaldbrücke and the Wiese junction in the direction of Germany will be completely closed from 11 pm Saturday until 5 am on Monday.
Only one lane will be open in the opposite direction to ensure the safety of construction personnel.
During the closure, northbound traffic will be diverted past the construction site via Schwarzwaldstrasse and Schwarzwaldallee at the Basel-Wettstein exit, where heavy traffic jams are expected to form.
The planned work on the eastern bypass is weather-dependent. In case of heavy rains, construction will be postponed for one week.
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