This week brings ‘cooler’ weather to Switzerland; Swiss median wages have risen; and more news in our roundup on Monday.
This week brings ‘cooler’ weather to Switzerland – at last
After nearly three weeks of oppressively hot weather, the heatwave will be (at least temporarily) over staring on Monday.
However, don’t expect a huge drop in temperatures: according to the forecast for today and the rest of the week, temps will fall only slightly – from mid-to high 30s in some regions last week to high 20s from today.
The forecast also calls for rain and thunderstorms in most regions, which will bring a welcome relief from the heatwave as well.
Median wages in Switzerland have risen
In 2025, the median Swiss salary – that is, the middle value of all wages sorted from lowest to highest – was 87,000 francs a year.
This is a significantly higher number in comparison to the median wage of the previous year, which was 81,500 francs.
This is what emerges from a new analysis by the Federal Statistical Office (SFO) released on Friday.
The figure of 87,000 includes both salaried and self-employment work.
And speaking of wages…
Pay inequality between men and women still exists
The same FSO study also revealed the persisting wage gap between sexes.
Just how large is this disparity?
The median gross annual salary for full-time employees reaches 92,000 francs for men, compared to 80,900 francs for women.
In other words, while men earn (in general) more than the national median salary of 87,000 francs, women’s wages fall below considerably below that figure.
These differences are particularly pronounced in the highest income brackets: Among full-time employees, 33 percent of men earn more than 104,000 francs per year, compared to only 22 percent of women.
Voters will decide whether to restrict the use of fireworks
The initiative committee decided on Friday to maintain its original text after the failure of the counter-project in the Parliament the previous week.
Spearheaded by animal welfare organisations, the initiative calls for greater protection of people, animals, and the environment against noise and emissions caused by fireworks.
It seeks to ban all categories of pyrotechnic devices, with exemptions granted by the cantons for specific holidays and events.
Various surveys indicate that this measure has broad support among the population.
The date for the vote has not yet been set.
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