The majority of Geneva’s adult residents have a foreign nationality, study reveals; French company wants to pay Swiss workers below-standard wages; and more news in our Tuesday roundup.
Most adults in Geneva have foreign nationality
Nearly two out of three adults in Geneva have foreign citizenship, according to the Federal Statistical Office.
Concretely, 67 percent of the canton’s population aged 15 and over has another country’s nationality — an exceptional figure on a national scale.
This proportion includes people who only have foreign passports, as well as those who are dual nationals:
33 percent have only Swiss nationality;
30 percent are dual nationals, meaning they are Swiss and hold at least one other nationality;
37 percent are exclusively foreign nationals.
French company recruits staff in Switzerland but doesn’t pay ‘Swiss’ wages
The French company Newrest, which provides catering for international trains, is looking to hire up to 100 employees in Zurich as service personnel on overnight trains.
However, the starting (gross) salary the company offers is 3,700 francs a month, which may be adequate by French standards but is below the Swiss average — especially as applicants must be willing to work nights, weekends, and public holidays AND speak German and English as well.
In Zurich, wages below 4,000 francs “are barely sufficient,” according to labour lawyer Roger Rudolph..
By comparison, at the SBB catering company Elvetino, the starting salary is 4,100 francs.
Advertisement
Zurich expands its cannabis study
Zurich is expanding its cannabis project from the current 2,100 to 3,000 participants, municipal authorities announced on Monday.
The increase is “intended to capture a broader spectrum of consumption habits,” they said.
The Federal Office of Public Health has already approved the increase,
The expanded study is scheduled to run until October 2026, though an extension of two years is being considered.
READ ALSO: What are Switzerland’s current rules on cannabis?
Advertisement
Rents rise in June — more in some cities than in others
In June, new rents rose in many parts of Switzerland, the Homegate rental index reported on Monday.
Among the cities, Lucerne (+2.2 percent) and Basel (+0.7 percent) recorded the largest increases.
In contrast, rents fell slightly in Bern (-1 percent), Geneva (-0.9 percent) and Zurich (-0.6 percent).
Over the year as a whole, however, rents mainly continued to rise — most of all in Lucerne and Zurich, with hikes of 5 and 3.5 percent, respectively.
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
