The Covid-19 pandemic is likely to further accelerate Swiss industry’s move towards specialisation in a small group of high added-value sectors, says a new report.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch/jc
Русский
ru
Швейцарская экономика ускорит структурную перестройку
Out of every ten francs of Swiss industrial revenue in 2019, four came from just two industries: pharmaceuticals and watches and electronics, according to the studyExternal link by independent think-tank Avenir Suisse. This is twice as much as in 1997.
Instead of a rise in unemployment, there has been a shift in the job market, it notes. The widely held fear that Switzerland’s “workshop” would be outsourced to other countries has not been borne out. Industrial value creation is ever more dependent on services such as maintenance and digital solutions, trends that are likely to accelerate in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis.
Avenir Suisse notes that over the past two decades, the industrial sector has specialised in those areas where value creation and productivity were most important. For the authors, this is the only possible way for Swiss industry, which is geared towards exports, to be competitive on an international scale.
“Swiss industry has achieved these successes without an interventionist industrial policy like those of some of its neighbours,” they write. “Costly and inefficient state intervention would thus be unwise as it would halt technological progress in our internationalised economy.”
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Man charged with flying drone at women’s Euro 2025
This content was published on
A man flew a drone around the venue on Wednesday evening during the first match of the Women's EURO 2025 in St. Gallen. The 30-year-old violated the absolute ban on flying during match days. He was reported to the police.
More than 250 Swiss companies sign CO2 reduction initiative
This content was published on
A total of 257 companies from Switzerland have signed up to the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). In doing so, they are committing to CO2 reduction targets that are compatible with the Paris Climate Agreement.
Swiss accident prevention group sees federal targets at risk
This content was published on
The Swiss government's target for accident figures is at risk, reckons Mario Cavegn, member of the executive board of the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention.
Feminicide: Swiss justice minister calls for electronic monitoring
This content was published on
Swiss Justice Minister Beat Jans has called for electronic monitoring and an ankle bracelet warning system for perpetrators of violence against women.
This content was published on
American artist Chaka Khan ‘and friends’ opened the 59th Montreux Jazz Festival on Friday. For over three hours, their show, dedicated to their friend and mentor Quincy Jones, thrilled the audience,
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.