Cook, bake, eat – put on weight. People in Switzerland have been eating more during the pandemic. The average Swiss household spent 7,680 francs on food and drink in 2020 – more than ever before and 11.3 per cent more than in 2019.
Beer consumption also increased, right? Wrong. It fell significantly, because no one could visit their local pub for months. The shortfall equates to 34 million fewer glasses of beer served compared to the previous year.
From civil servants to police officers to teachers – Switzerland’s “bloated” public services are one of the things that pub regulars love to grumble about over a beer or three. Let’s do a fact check. Ten per cent of employed people work in the public sector. The figure is 14 in Italy, 16 in the UK, 22 in France and as high as 29 in Sweden.
Sweden? Switzerland? People often confuse the two countries. Are our public-sector workers less happy in their jobs than Sweden’s considerable contingent? Not at all. Only 21 per cent would like to change jobs. On the other hand, 56 per cent of Switzerland’s private-sector workforce are unhappy in their current job.
Revenue officers also belong to the public sector. Tax exiles certainly do not. Swiss companies and individuals have plenty of wealth squirrelled away abroad – amounting to 5.68 billion francs in lost tax revenue. Foreign tax exiles in Switzerland, on the other hand, provide our country with 12.84 billion francs in additional tax income. This gives a net profit of 7.16 billion francs.
Brewers shifted a lot less beer in 2020, mainly because restaurants and bars remained closed during lockdown. Photo: Keystone
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