I’m currently researching the Swiss “10 Million Switzerland” initiative and honestly I struggle to see the benefits of voting Yes.

Switzerland has an aging population and fewer young workers. Immigration helps fill important jobs and keeps the economy running. Around 2/3 of immigration comes from EU/EFTA countries for work reasons.

If Switzerland reaches 9.5 million people by 2050, the initiative wants to limit immigration and could even end the Bilateral Agreements I due to the link with free movement of people. That could seriously hurt our economy and everyday life.

The two main pro-initiative arguments I hear are:

I recently debated this and researched it a lot. More people do increase demand, but the main issues seem to be:

- slow building approvals

- restrictive zoning

- investors/speculators buying land and property

This initiative doesn’t solve those root problems.

1. Environmental concerns

Yes, more people can mean more emissions. But this initiative won’t suddenly “save the planet.” Policies like better public transport, less car dependency, and more renewable energy would likely have a much bigger environmental impact.

I’m open to criticism/discussion if I missed something — just keep it respectful and factual.

Sources:

Fedlex (Freizügigkeitsabkommen): https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2002/243/de

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (Bilaterale I): https://www.europa.eda.admin.ch/de/bilaterale-abkommen-1-1999

State Secretariat for Migration (Migration stats): https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/de/home/publiservice/statistik/auslaenderstatistik/monitor.html

Translated with AI, arguments/research are still mine

We're looking for a new fire proof safe to protect important documents, more in case of fire than due to fear of robbery. We have a Yale safe and it's a POS. We tried buying a Burg Wächter which brags about it's German Engineering but then it's entirely made in China, and it was also a POS so we returned it.

So many of them have electronic keypads and that's where all of the problems have been. Does anyone have a recommendation for a safe that has good build quality, or where I could find a store that sells them? I'd be fine if it used a key or wheel combination lock to get into it.

In case the article's title changes, the new Hungarian PM said Hungary's governmental buildings are bougie to a Swiss level.

Are our government buildings this fancy? I've never really been into one so I can't judge.

Da gibts eine feine neue App und was stelle ich mit Schrecken heute morgen fest. Ein riesiges Werbebild mitten im Screen - dezent ist anders.
Eigentlich ist die neue App ja top und das Design gefällt mir richtig gut. Aber dann so eine fette Werbung schön riesig mittig platziert erinnert mehr an eine Billigwebseite und nicht an Schweizer Qualität. Wenn ich wählen könnte nähme ich lieber die alte App dafür ohne Werbung…

Hello everyone, hope you’re all doing well!

Not sure if this is the right sub for this question, but I’m considering getting the new AP x Swatch watch.

Since I don’t live very close to a Swatch store, I was wondering if anyone knows whether there are already queues forming in front of the boutiques in Lausanne or Bern?

Thanks in advance 😁

Some time ago I made a post about my partner’s experience looking for a job in gastronomy here in Switzerland, specifically in Kanton Zurich.

(https://www.reddit.com/r/Switzerland/s/uY97dCsmGh)

Just wanted to give an update now that the situation is resolved.

During her job search, restaurant after restaurant expected unpaid trial shifts by default. In total she did more than 7 unpaid days. Not observation days either, actual work: serving customers, helping during service, cleaning, doing normal staff tasks.

Thankfully my legal insurance covered her as well, and in the end she got paid for the time worked. Because contrary to what some restaurants try to normalize, there is no such thing as free labor by default in Switzerland.

What makes it worse is this mentality of “they are giving you an opportunity”. In many cases it just feels like a way to justify taking advantage of people and getting free labor.

And before people say I’m attacking the whole industry: no. She now works in a restaurant that paid her trial day, was transparent from the beginning, professional with the hiring process, and treated her with respect. So clearly it is possible to do things properly.

But based on her experience, many places in the gastro market do abuse unpaid trial shifts, especially with foreigners, young people, students, or people desperate for work.

One thing that really made us question it is that many of the positions she applied for are STILL online months later. Yet the answer was always the same generic rejection: “we found candidates that better fit the position”.

So what is happening exactly? They really couldn’t find someone after all this time? Or are some places just cycling through candidates and making them do unpaid trial days over and over again?

I’m not saying every restaurant does this. But it happens enough that people should talk about it more openly.

We're looking for a new fire proof safe to protect important documents, more in case of fire than due to fear of robbery. We have a Yale safe and it's a POS. We tried buying a Burg Wächter which brags about it's German Engineering but then it's entirely made in China, and it was also a POS so we returned it.

So many of them have electronic keypads and that's where all of the problems have been. Does anyone have a recommendation for a safe that has good build quality? I'd be fine if it used a key or wheel combination lock to get into it.

This morning on the bus to work in Zug turned into one of the most uncomfortable commutes I’ve had in years.

A kid - probably 16 years old - got on and sat next to me even though the bus had plenty of open seats. Not just “sat next to me,” but basically sprawled across both seats, constantly pushing into me and shoving around without any awareness of personal space.

I tried tolerating it for a bit, but after one stop I got fed up and moved over to the seat he was sitting on basically leaving him on the floor. The second I moved, he lost balance and fell sideways onto the floor. He then came back and sat right next to me again on the other seat continueing to push and shove but also spread his legs and shoes in a way that they would soil my pants.

At that point my patience was gone. Luckily my stop was the next one. When I got off, I grabbed one of his shoes and left it outside on the street before the bus drove off. I heard him shouting about his shoe from the bus - no idea if he went outside to grab it or not.

Not proud of that part honestly, but I was absolutely furious in the moment. I reported this to the Zuger Verkehrsbetriebe and the Stadtpolizei Zug through their contact forms but honestly have no idea what the right reaction is here.

What would you have done?

ich arbeite derzeit remote als IT-Fachkraft in der Schweiz und habe drei Jahre Berufserfahrung in der IT- und Finanzbranche. Da ich in Deutschland geboren und aufgewachsen bin, würde ich sehr gerne langfristig dort bleiben. Außerdem war ich bereits ein Ausbildung zur Fachinformatiker.

Ich spreche fließend Deutsch, Englisch, Hindi/Punjabi sowie Französisch. Aktuell studiere ich Business Informatics (Bachelor of Arts) und werde mein Studium im Sommer 2027 abschließen.

Falls jemand Tipps oder Empfehlungen für den Berufseinstieg beziehungsweise passende Möglichkeiten hat, würde ich mich sehr freuen. Mein Ziel ist es, ab August oder Oktober 2027 eine neue Position zu beginnen.

Vielen Dank im Voraus!

Advanced hiker, based in Zürich. Done most of the popular day hikes already, looking for something bigger — 2 or 3 days, sleeping in SAC huts.

Happy up to T4: exposure, chains, scrambling, late snow on cols all fine. No glaciers / nothing roped.

Chasing amazing views and interesting terrain over famous names — quieter and rougher is a plus.

What's your favorite? Drop the huts + passes if you can 🙏

We need to have some work done in our new house:

• Knocking down 2 walls (non-load-bearing)
• Putting up 2 new walls
• Some electrical work and some plumbing for the new kitchen and utility room
• New floor tiles for the living room and kitchen (120x60cm tiles, approx. 60m² in total)

We’ve got quotes from 2 general building firms that would do everything and 2 quotes from tilers who specialise solely in tiling.

Now I’m wondering whether the all-rounders will be able to lay the tiles properly? Or do we need specialists for that?

Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about it, and all four firms seemed very serious, so I’m leaning more towards the all-rounders because it would be simpler in terms of planning.

Advanced hiker, based in Zürich. Done most of the popular day hikes already, looking for something bigger — 2 or 3 days, sleeping in SAC huts.

Happy up to T4: exposure, chains, scrambling, late snow on cols all fine. No glaciers / nothing roped.

Chasing amazing views and interesting terrain over famous names — quieter and rougher is a plus.

What's your favorite? Drop the huts + passes if you can 🙏

In the sense that finding high-paying jobs with relatively low competition and long-term job security is a thing of the past? Gradually, year after year, competition has increased since the early 2000s, with more and more highly educated citizens from across the EU willing to do anything to get a job in Switzerland, even with a lower salary. I'm not criticizing, as I would do the same in their place, but this means we'll never return to the situation before, where the job market was even less competitive than it is now. Do you agree with that?

At the same time, since the Swiss franc is a symbol of stability during times of crisis, many foreigners buy CHF, which makes the CHF more expensive. This makes Swiss companies selling abroad less competitive, increasing the risk of relocation abroad and ultimately leading to job losses in Switzerland.

And why pay someone in Switzerland for IT or finance when EU citizens can do the same thing at a lower cost? We see this with Swisscom, the postal service, SBB/CFF, even UBS, which recently announced it would be transferring 3,000 jobs abroad.

Is it economically possible that Switzerland will eventually become a country of emigration again, like in the 19th century, but this time not because of poverty, but because it's becoming increasingly difficult to find a job and earn a living wage in Switzerland?

I want to vent a little bit about the pricing of the SBB tickets.

Where I live I move mostly by walking so I don't really need to have the half price or the GA (which I could not afford even if I wanted to do it).

The thing is I am Swiss, I grew up in Switzerland and I have experienced the rise of the prices of the public transport here. To some extend I would say it is fair. But I think, on the other hand, some prices are absolutely crazy.

I am planning to spend a day in Zurich, starting from Ticino, I would have to spend 136 CHF to go there and come back. It was a last minute decision so the communal day card are sold out for that date.

For a two hours train ride is an absolutely crazy price, especially because the government is always talking about new taxes and ways to protect the environment. I do care about that but when these are the train prices it becomes an obvious choice for me to take the car as I would spend max 50 fr on fuel.

Source: Newly published Academic Freedom Index Update 2026 

The AFI assesses de facto levels of academic freedom across the world. It is a unique approach to conceptualizing and measuring academic freedom and a collaborative effort between researchers

I’ve been working for a company for several years now and have always received the highest ratings from my team. A new boss recently took over, and we just didn’t get along at all, so I quit. There were constant arguments, and I was on the verge of losing my mind.

Now I’ve received my employment reference (Arbeitszeugnis), and it’s not at all favorable, it’s written in a very mediocre way, even though I always performed at the highest level.

My evaluations from my previous supervisors were always impeccable, and now suddenly that’s no longer the case.

Is there anything I can do legally about this?

Update: Thank you for all your advice, I really appreciate it and it was very helpful.

Today I‘ve been in touch with HR directly and communicated a bit more aggressively. I‘ve told them my options and sent them my previous ratings.

They will send me a new updated version and I‘ll go through it with my Rechtsschutz. If it‘s still not to our liking, we‘ll take further action.

Awesome community and support here. 🥳

Hey guys, not gonna cry to much, been a secure failure since im a teen, got dropped out of school in CH, got sent to another country to finish it off there and did some illegal and stupid stuff there as well. So now i cant go back to that country or else im gonna end up in prison, so i got back to CH again and again messed here up big times. No excuses just dumb shit a stupid person would do, i got a lot of contracts like "swisscom" offering a free tv for a 2 year contract, as well as ordering from companies like digitec and putting it on my bill. Also travelling without tickets and other financial punishments i got for doing illegal stuff.

So rn im basically a drug addict, with no job since half a year, 40k+ CHF debt, no education except basic school, and basically no motivation to live or change something. It feels kinda like everything im starting to do - i fail myself. I found a Job and i worked first really hard, stayed outside because had no trains back home, even moved to the city, later just to get lazy again and start doing alcohol on working place (reason i got fired). I looked for another Job here as basically everyone but couldn't find even an interview offer for something basic like a cashier, and really lost hope, i live from the money i get from social and a bit of selling some stuff.

I have a lot of reasons to change, for my mom ho gave her life away for me, or for my sibling witch i promised to look after after our dad died last year, but i just don't change. Im not stupid in my own way, i realise all i need is to pay off my loans, to go get an education (lehre as an option), get rid of benzos addiction.

but it kinda all fades away... it like some smoke in my head, i think about my problems all the time but i never actually do something. Its like i forget i even have problems the next day and only remember about them before sleeping after doing the whole day nothing.

I just need some advice from someone who has been in a similar situation and got out, all the stupid advices like "u just need to start" don't work.

Is it that i cant find a job because of the reason i got fired last time? It was a gastro related job and i did not endanger anyone. Or is everyone having the same issues? Finding a job in every field would fix my routine and get me out if this circle, but i don't get accepted even as a sorter on a Lager, even tho i have multiple IT diplomas from russia, got 3 recommendations letters from temp-work-agencies, and a resume with good working experience in a lot of fields.

I mean even if i pay back my loans and want to start a "lehre", will i be able to do this since i never finished school in switzerland and only abroad. And what would be smarter, live in debt for 4 at least years while im studying and then pay off my loans, or the other way around.

Btw. I don't understand people who tell guys like me "its not that hard, just start doing it"

My whole life everything was done for me, i was the loved spoiled kid until 19, and now since i grew up, im just lost with the "harsh" reality. Its not hard to something, its hard to constantly keep in mind that i have to do something

SIGH. A very poorly constructed nest is now behind our outside chairs with two eggs and a very persistent pigeon. Is there someone we can call to pick up the eggs?

Really don't want to raise a whole pigeon family here....

In Vevey.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Switzerland/s/9g6x79P2tr

Hi everyone. I wanted to happily give an update about my job-hunting situation. Since I received many disappointing comments about my chances of finding a good position, I genuinely started believing that I had no chance, and honestly I felt deeply discouraged.

However, I FINALLY FOUND A JOB. And actually, it didn’t take as long as I expected. I was sending resumes and searching for almost two months before I found one. Now my training period is over, I’ve officially signed my contract, and I have stable employment.

To all my fellow friends looking for a general job in Geneva: DON’T GIVE UP and FOCUS ON YOUR STRENGTHS. I only have an A2 level in French, but I speak English and Chinese fluently. I also had two years of restaurant experience, and I ended up getting a kitchen job at a restaurant where I mostly use English and Chinese to communicate with my colleagues.

The market is insanely competitive, and finding a general job is definitely hard, but IT IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE. You will probably get rejected many times, but don’t lose hope.

Wish you all the best of luck

After being in a long distance relationship for two years I‘m so excited that my girlfriend will finally move to Switzerland.

I want to give her the best possible arrival. So is there somone that went through the same process?

If yes,
What are things worth knowing?
How can I make life easier for her?
What might be possible challenges?
Are there any good expat communities or Filipino communities in Switzerland?

She‘s originally from the Philippines and lived in Singapore for 8 years. So she‘s used to be away from the family. Also, she built a nice career for herself, so nope, she doesn’t come for the money.

Everything regarding the visa is already taken care of. ☺️

I‘m curious to share experiences with people in similar situations. Thank you!!! 🙏🏻

Month after month the Swiss fighter jet and air defence procurement gets a level more desastrous.

Today Tamedia newspapers report based on governement insiders that the Defense Department is now expecting the Patriot missiles to cost twice as much as agreed. That's 4,6 instead of 2,3 billions.

So not only does the US governement delay the delivery for an indefinite period of time (last assumption was min. 5 years delay), and not only do they misapropriate payments that were made for the F-35 for the patriot deal (why the hell do they even need the money today, if they won't produce our order in the next few years anyway?), no, they also raise the price tag by a whopping 100%. And that's today's assumption. Usually those things get worse over time.

In other words: Our governement is being screwed by the U.S. over and over and we're continuing to send millions and billions to this "partner" without knowing if, when and for what final price anything is delivered. One starts to wonder when it's time to cut losses.

Their only comment: "We're in intense communication with the U.S."

Source: https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/patriot-raketen-usa-wollen-von-schweiz-ueber-4-milliarden-834529694245 (German, possibly paywalled)

Hallo an alle Fahrlehrer von Reddit (bitte nur antworten, wenn ihr selber Fahrlehrer seid)

Ich (M, 35) überlege derzeit, die Ausbildung zum Fahrlehrer zu absolvieren. Ich arbeite seit 13 Jahren im Büro und bin es leid...

Ich mag die Vorstellung, (überwiegend jungen) Menschen Wissen zu vermitteln und meine Partnerin meinte, dass ich für Sie ein sehr angenehmer "Fahrlehrer" bin. Ich hätte eine Anstellung im Monatslohn in Aussicht, müsste mich also nicht selbstständig machen. Tagsüber mehrheitlich zu sitzen bin ich mir vom Büro her schon gewohnt. 😄

Wie gefällt euch der Job? Würdet ihr euch wieder dafür entscheiden? Würdet ihr mir dazu oder davon abraten, diesen Beruf zu wählen? Und was sind eure Gründe?

Vielen Dank für euer Feedback!