Immigrants ‘essential’ for funding Switzerland’s state pensions; more trains will circulate during Ascension and Pentecost weekends; plus more news in our roundup this Tuesday.
Swiss Minister: Immigrants are ‘essential’ for funding state pensions
In an interview with the Tribune de Genève on Monday, Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, the minister responsible for the social insurance system, stressed that “immigrants’ contributions are essential” to the financing of the country’s pension scheme.
That’s because on average, Switzerland’s population receives more state pension benefits than it pays in contributions, Baume-Schneider said.
Conversely, foreign nationals contribute more to the system than they get back, she pointed out.
Baume-Schneider brought up this point to negate the arguments to the contrary – that is, that foreign nationals are a burden on the social security system – raised by the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) as part of its ‘No to 10 million’ campaign.
READ MORE: How immigrants in Switzerland make a positive contribution
More trains will circulate to popular tourist destinations during Ascension and Pentecost
During the Ascension and Pentecost holiday weekends – May 14th to 17th and May 23rd to 25th, respectively – the SBB will be increasing its service between German-speaking Switzerland and Ticino.
Approximately 130,000 additional seats and 58 extra trains are planned.
On Ascension Thursday and the Saturday before Pentecost, an additional train will also run between Locarno and Milano Porta Garibaldi.
However, even with additional trains and seats, high passenger volumes are expected; the SBB therefore recommends purchasing tickets and booking seats in advance.
Jobs in Switzerland are not impacted by the war in Iran
The employment outlook for Swiss companies is not deteriorating, despite the conflict in the Middle East and the resulting rise in oil prices, the KOF Swiss Economic Institute said on Monday.
This forecast is based on responses from some 4,200 companies surveyed in April.
KOF’s analysis points to “a moderate performance by the Swiss labour market in the current and coming quarters despite increased geopolitical uncertainty and higher energy prices.”
The Greens seek to lower the speed limit to cut fuel consumption
The speed limit on Swiss motorways is typically 120 km/h, but the Green Party leader Liza Mazzone wants it reduced to 80 km/hour.
She pointed out that a similar measure was implemented back in 1973 during the global oil crisis, which caused widespread petrol shortages.
At that time, Swiss authorities had temporarily imposed a 100-km/h speed limit to conserve fuel.
Interestingly, on the other end of the political spectrum – that is, all the way to the right – the Swiss People’s Party is pushing for the opposite move: to raise the motorway speed limit to 130 km/h.
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at news@thelocal.ch
