Switzerland may have to accept EU citizens needing social aid; Lausanne ranked worst city for violent crime in its population category; and more news in our Tuesday roundup.
Another effect of new EU agreements: more foreigners on social aid
Aside from being bound by the new treaty to give the EU citizens the right of permanent residence in Switzerland after just five years – regardless of whether they have a job – there will be another requirement in place as well.
Specifically, Switzerland will have to be more accommodating towards EU migrants needing social assistance.
If the agreements come into force, the government expects 3,000 to 4,000 new cases of social assistance among immigrants per year.
READ ALSO: Why 570,000 foreigners in Switzerland could suddenly get permanent residence
Lausanne authorities deny that it is among ‘most dangerous’ Swiss cities
According to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), Lausanne is the municipality with more than 30,000 inhabitants which has had proportionally the highest number of violent crimes.
City officials are putting these findings into perspective, arguing that the FSO’s definition of “violence” aggregates a wide variety of offences, and the study excludes smaller municipalities from the ranking.
Marcelo Aebi, a professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Lausanne, pointed out that differences in recording methods and penal policies distort comparisons.
He conceded, however, that there has been an increase in crime in Lausanne, partly linked to incidents of youth violence.
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How France has benefited from its citizens working in Geneva
The canton of Geneva transferred 396 million francs this year to the neighbouring French departments of Haute-Savoie and Ain.
This is a new record, as in 2024 this amount was 372 million francs.
Geneva must pay 3.5 percent of the annual gross payroll generated by cross-border workers to France.
This money is used to compensate for the public expenses borne by France due to the growing number of cross-border workers who live in Geneva but work and are taxed there.
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Women in Switzerland are still paid significantly less than men
According to new data from the Federal StatisticalOffice (FSO), in 2024 women earned, on average less than their male colleagues.
The gap is greatest in intellectual and scientific professions, the study reveals.
In these jobs, the median salary for women – 96,000 francs per year – is 18 percent lower than that of men (117,000 francs).
On the positive side, equality does exist for one category of workers: apprentices. Their wages are identical, regardless of gender.
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