Nearly 75% of that time was spent on social and health work. About 10% went towards environmental and conservation tasks, and the remainder were spent on jobs related to education, culture, agriculture and emergencies. The breakdown was similar to that of the previous year, but there were more courses offered – especially related to childcare.
However, to ensure that there are enough soldiers in the military, the Swiss government wants to make civilian service less attractive. Last November, the Federal Council asked the Department of Economic Affairs to draw up measures for reducing the number of permits granted for conscripted recruits to do civilian rather than military service.
A consultation draft is expected by this coming autumn.
Most Read Swiss Abroad
More
Why Switzerland is an archaeological treasure trove
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
What factors should be taken into account when inheriting Swiss citizenship abroad?
Should there be a limit to the passing on of Swiss citizenship? Or is the current practice too strict and it should still be possible to register after the age of 25?
‘Pressure will increase on Switzerland to invest more in defence’
This content was published on
Markus Mäder, Switzerland's state secretary for security policy, believes that more cooperation is needed in order to strengthen defence in Europe.
Just one in five Swiss attend a religious service at Easter
This content was published on
Only one in five people in Switzerland attend a religious service during the Easter period or give up meat or alcohol for at least one day of fasting. Around 25% of those polled see Easter primarily as a family holiday, according to the survey.
Major road disruptions continue after heavy snowfall in parts of Switzerland
This content was published on
The snowfall has ended in the southern Swiss canton of Valais, the cantonal emergency services said on Friday. Several roads, however, remain closed.
Swiss businessman gets prison term for asbestos deaths
This content was published on
Stephan Schmidheiny has been sentenced to 9 years and 6 months in prison by the Turin Court of Appeal in a case against the former Eternit executive over deaths linked to asbestos exposure in Italy.
This content was published on
Swiss imports and exports reached new heights in the first quarter, driven by the chemicals and pharmaceuticals sectors. Shipments to the US rose sharply.
This content was published on
At the start of next year, the Swiss Armed Forces will shrink its reserves down to 100,000 troops and its training will be shortened by three weeks.
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.