Commuters arrive at Cornavin train station in Geneva, Switzerland
Keystone
The average commute time to work in Switzerland was 30 minutes in 2016, or 14.8 kilometres (9.2 miles), according to the Federal Statistical Office. This is 7% more than in 2010.
Every day, 3.9 million people, out of a labour force of 4.8 million, commuted to work in 2016 – up from 2.9 million in 1990. Some 71% worked in a different municipality from where they lived and 20% travelled to a different canton, +12% compared to 1990, the statistics office reported on WednesdayExternal link.
The statistics office said the majority drove to work (52%), whilst a third used public transport (17% took a train). Almost 15% of people walked or cycled to work.
Canton Zurich had the highest net inflow of commuters (+88,000 people). In canton Basel City, 51% of commuters travelled in every day from other regions. The figures were also high for cantons Zug (+34% of commuters), Zurich (+13%) and Geneva (+11%).
The statistics office also found that 800,000 young people (pupils, apprentices and students) commuted daily to their places of study or training in 2016. On average, they covered 22 km, mostly by train or bus.
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
How is your country dealing with the return of stolen artifacts?
Western nations like Switzerland often have to deal with the process of recovering or returning looted artifacts which have been illegally imported. What’s the situation like in your country?
Swiss cinemas report drop in admissions in first half of 2024
This content was published on
The decline in cinema-goers has continued so far this year. Swiss films and smaller cinemas are holding up better than big US productions and multiplex.
Spread of Japanese beetle leads to lawn-watering bans in Basel
This content was published on
Basel City authorities have extended an infestation zone with strict guidelines to a good third of the canton’s territory.
Bad weather forces closure of many Swiss hiking trails
This content was published on
Some 620 trails are still closed due to the extreme weather this summer, with the canton of Valais particularly hard hit.
This content was published on
The two cities have beaten off Zurich and Bern to make it onto the shortlist to host the Europe-wide singing extravaganza next May.
This content was published on
Construction expenditure rose by 0.3% last year in nominal terms, but the price-adjusted situation reveals a 2.5% drop, statistics show.
Another body found in southern Switzerland after June storms
This content was published on
The body found in the Maggia river in Ticino on Thursday is “likely” to be the sixth victim of storms last month, police said.
Swiss helicopter rescue pioneers safe autopilot approach system
This content was published on
Swiss air rescue company Rega has received approval for a new kind of instrument flight system for approaching a hospital.
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.
Read more
More
Cross-border workers
This content was published on
The number of people living abroad but commuting to jobs in Switzerland has been increasing steadily in recent years and is now close to 320,000.
This content was published on
The Swiss may be the second-richest people on earth, but all that wealth comes at a price. Five hours for meals and leisure, seven hours to sleep, one hour to commute to work, eight hours on the job and three hours for housework and paperwork: the daily grind leaves little time to stand and stare. This…
This content was published on
Plans are afoot to encourage car drivers to share their vehicles with fellow commuters in a bid to reduce road traffic and energy use by a third.
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.