Personal Finance

Medical residents at a Swiss teaching hospital spend almost half of their workday on the computer, which is approximately three times the amount of time they spend with patients, according to a Swiss study published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

The researchers conducted a time and motion study to evaluate how residents spend their time during day and evening hospital shifts. From May to July 2015, they studied 36 Swiss internal medicine residents with an average of 29 months of postgraduate training.

Residents spent 52.4% of their time on activities indirectly related to patients compared to 28% of their time on activities directly related to patients during day shifts. On average, residents spend 1.7 hours per day with patients, compared with 5.2 hours using computers, and 13 minutes doing both.

The number of EU students applying to study in the UK has dropped by 7% sparking fears that the impact of the Brexit vote is starting to bite in the university sector, official figures released today by UCAS reveal.

UK applicant figures have also decreased to a total of 469,490, a fall of 5% on this time last year; among EU students, there have been 42,070 applicants, compared to 45,220 at the same point last year, around 7% drop.

It is the third fall in applicant numbers since 2002, and the biggest since 2012 – the year that tuition fees in England were trebled to £9,000 (CFF 11,216). The other drop was in 2006, when fees were raised to £3,000 (CHF 3,730).

The statistical office of the European Union has taken a survey of 440 comparable foods across Europe to create an index of food, beverage, and tobacco prices categorized by nation. According to purchasing power, their 2015 data concludes that Switzerland has Europe’s most expensive food and drinks. They’re followed closely by Norway, Denmark, and Iceland.
For fruit and vegetables, including potatoes, Switzerland is the most expensive country in the EU, then Denmark and Ireland.

Swiss health insurance premiums will double by 2030. According to a study by EY (Ernst & Young), insurers will have to help reduce the costs of health care by focusing on innovation and digitalization.

The consulting firm estimates that health costs are expected to rise by 60% by 2030, for a total of 116 billion francs. If in 2014 in Switzerland, the average expenditure was equal to 6% of their income for health insurance premiums, the rate is set to rise to 11% in 2030, as stated today by EY analysts in a conference call.

Benoit Hamon secured the French Socialist Party’s presidential nomination on Sunday, beating rival Manuel Valls. Initial results gave Hamon 58 percent of the vote and Valls only 42.

Hamon was the more left-wing choice of the two politicians. He supports a universal basic income and wants to reduce the traditional work week to 35 hours. He has also spoken in support of legalizing cannabis and increased investment in renewable energy. Valls, on the other hand, has called himself a more "Clintonite" leftist with a strong belief in pragmatism and individual responsibility.

Despite the push toward a cashless society in many countries, residents in Switzerland are still in love with their cash, which is used regularly to purchase all sorts of things, both small and large.

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, the love of cash in Switzerland doesn’t seem to be slowing down. The Alpine country bowed to pressure from international anti-money-laundering organizations and implemented a cap on the amount of cash a person can use on a single purchase without raising red flags and requiring extra paperwork. If the transaction is over 100,000 Swiss francs, a retailer has to confirm identities and report the transactions that they deem to be suspicious.

Switzerland remains the best all-round destination for pursuing a career abroad while Hong Kong ranks number one for those looking to fast-track their career; this, according to new data released from HSBC’s latest global Expat Explorer survey of 26,871 expats from over 100 countries.

For the second year in a row, Switzerland is ranked the best all-round destination for a career abroad. In addition to being a top spot for earnings, 69% of expats in Switzerland see an improvement in their work-life balance and 61% say the work culture is better than in their home country.

Part of the world`s largest and longest-running research series on expat life, the Expat Explorer Careers Table ranking is based on eight criteria: the chance to acquire new skills, career progression, job security, earnings, benefits packages, work-life balance, work culture and fulfilment at work.

Wholesale reinsurance provider Swiss Re today said it has received approval from the Insurance Regulatory approval to open a branch in India, the world’s second largest reinsurer said on Monday, part of the Swiss company’s growth aspirations in the world’s second most populous country.

The branch, which opens operations on February 1 in Mumbai, has been licensed to sell non-life, life and health reinsurance solutions directly to clients and brokers in India.