No. 129, May

In April, the business situation of Swiss companies worsened once again. The Business Situation Indicator declined for the fifth month in a row (see G 5). With the exception of the construction and project engineering sectors, all other sectors have been struggling to sustain their business situation since the start of the year. By contrast, the companies’ expectations for the coming six months have not fallen any further.

In a new study, KOF has investigated the cooperation between the different actors in the Swiss education system. The results show that they are generally satisfied with how they collaborate. However, there is scope for improvement as regards cooperation with the federal authorities.

Multinational companies benefit from lower effective tax rates than national ones. The disparities result from differences in bargaining power with the state. Larger firms are able to negotiate deductions with the tax authorities and thus reduce their individual tax burden.

There has been significant progress in the integration of the most recent refugee cohort into the German labour market. This is also relevant for Switzerland, which is confronted with similar challenges.

Digital technologies represent a major challenge for the labour market. According to a new study, Swiss firms are investing in digitalisation, although this is resulting in the loss of some jobs. However, the process ultimately leads to the creation of more new jobs.