No. 171, March
Why has Switzerland, unlike Germany, not developed a large low-wage sector? An overview
- Labour Market
- KOF Bulletin
In Switzerland – in contrast to Germany – low wages have managed to keep up surprisingly well with average wages. Research to date cannot conclusively explain the different trends in these two countries. In this article, KOF economist Kristina Schüpbach discusses various theories on this topic. One possible explanation is that Switzerland’s job market is more extensively covered by collective labour agreements than Germany’s.
“Economics is about the question of the good life”
- Inequality
- KOF Bulletin
Michael Graff, Head of the Research Division "Macroeconomic Forecasting", explains why inequality should be a key topic in economics and why redistribution and efficiency do not necessarily have to be opposites.
KOF Business Situation Indicator down slightly
- KOF Business Situation Indicator
- KOF Bulletin
The business climate for the Swiss private sector deteriorated somewhat in February. Having risen sharply in January, the Business Situation Indicator could not quite sustain the previous month’s value in February (see chart G 3). Nevertheless, the economic situation in Switzerland in the first few months of this year is significantly more encouraging than it was in the autumn of 2022.