More job cuts are on the horizon in Switzerland; rules for working from home will become more flexible; plus other news in our roundup this Wednesday.
Migros plans to cut 57 jobs at its food plant in Vaud
More job cuts are on the horizon in Switzerland: the country’s largest retailer will eliminate those positions by the end of 2027 at its Fresh Food & Beverage Group’s facility in Ecublens, near Lausanne.
“An analysis showed that the expected growth and profitability targets were not met by this division,” the company spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Migros had already cut 84 jobs in 2025, when it closed its Micarna site, also located in Ecublens.
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Rules for working from home will become more flexible
The Council of States’ Economic Affairs Committee has approved a parliamentary proposal to this effect on Tuesday, after the National Council had already given its green light on this issue.
The proposal seeks to introduce greater flexibility regarding working hours for remote work.
First, the daily work period may span a 17-hour window, instead of the current 14 hours.
Secondly, the mandatory rest period is reduced from 11 to 9 hours, and it may be interrupted for emergencies.
And lastly, it would be possible to work on Sundays for up to five hours, but no more than nine times a year.
Switzerland will overhaul driving tests from next year
The procedure for obtaining a driving license will be reorganised and digitalised from January 1st, 2027.
As part of these changes, the first-aid course and vision test will now be entered digitally, the Association of Road Traffic Authorities (ASA), said on Tuesday.
At the same time, the road traffic theory course will have to be taken before the exam, with five more questions than presently (55) featured on the test.
Basel’s new tax system will be implemented in two phases
After approval of this move in a referendum in June, Basel-City will beome the first Swiss canton to introduce the direct deduction of taxes from wages – though the system will be optional and residents scan choose to keep the current system of paying their taxes themselves.
The new regime will be rolled out in two phases, the canton announced on Tuesday.
First part of a pilot phase will begin as of January 2029; two years later, the second phaser will kick in.
The implementation of the scheme is, however, conditional on the Federal Court confirming the legality of the direct deduction system, as an appeal against it is currently pending before the Court.
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