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As the national weather and climate service and a critical infrastructure for Switzerland, MeteoSwiss provides essential services for Switzerland, such as flight weather information, severe weather warnings and analyses of the spread of pollutants. With the RZPlus programme, MeteoSwiss plans to increase the resilience of its services by establishing geo-redundant configurations for its business-critical solutions and ICT resources, and adjusting ICT processes. Owing to a large number of external and internal challenges such as budget cuts, the scope and objectives of RZPlus have had to be substantially reduced. The SFAO welcomes the fact that MeteoSwiss is standing by RZPlus despite these challenges. However, it notes the risk that the adapted programme objectives may not bring the expected savings as regards operating costs of on-premises computer centres. Thus, over the long term, less will be achieved with the same money.

Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider will attend a meeting of gender equality ministers from German-speaking countries in Vaduz on 31 August. This year’s gathering will focus on current gender equality challenges in the digital age, as well as how to address anti-feminist tendencies. The meeting brings together representatives from Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Austria and Switzerland.

In the economy as a whole (private and public sectors), the overall wage gap between women and men continued to narrow, falling to 15.7% in 2024, down from 16.2% in 2022. This is a finding from the detailed report analysing the gender wage gap based on data from the 2024 Swiss Earnings Structure Survey (ESS), carried out by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

The UN sanctions committee has amended the list of sanctioned individuals, companies and organizations. The SESAM database has been updated accordingly. On 4 March 2016 the Federal Council has adopted the Ordinance on the automatic application of the UN Security Council’s sanctions lists. Hence, the amendments of the UN Security Council’s sanctions lists enter into force in Switzerland without delay.

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, ETH Zurich and the University of Amsterdam have directly observed the optical Magnus effect for the first time. This phenomenon is the optical counterpart of an effect from classical mechanics. It is relevant to quantum computing because it can influence the precise control of qubits, the fundamental units of quantum information.

The general government, comprising the Confederation, cantons, municipalities and social security schemes, is expected to generate a financing surplus of around CHF 4 billion in 2025. The general government's gross debt, as defined by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), is expected to rise by around CHF 5.4 billion to CHF 353.2 billion in 2025 (40.7% of GDP).This is shown in the latest financial statistics figures, which are available on the website of the Federal Finance Administration:Main aggregatesDetailed FS data (financial statistics, for national comparability)Detailed GFS data (Government Finance Statistics, based on the IMF standard)International comparison

From landmark architecture to street signs, our built environment is exposed to the elements. But which atmospheric factors must new buildings be protected from? And how can the “ravages of time” be slowed down when it comes to World Heritage sites? Empa researchers analyze the corrosion of metal building components and are working on an economical and sustainable approach to combating corrosion.

In the 2nd quarter 2026, total employment (excluding agriculture) in Switzerland rose by 2.0% compared with the same quarter of the previous year (seasonally adjusted, +0.5% over previous quarter). Enterprises reported 2.7% more job vacancies than a year earlier and difficulties recruiting skilled workers have increased compared with the previous quarter. The employment outlook remains positive. These are some of the latest findings from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

Between 2023 and 2025, the unemployment rate (based on the ILO definition) one year after graduation rose among graduates of Swiss universities and institutes of technology (UIT) and universities of applied sciences (UAS). It rose from 3.9% to 6.4% among holders of a UIT master’s degree and from 3.4% to 4.9% among holders of a UAS bachelor’s degree. Among graduates of universities of teacher education (UTE), it remained low at just 0.7%. These are some of the results of the Swiss Graduate Survey, conducted by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

Thin films made of metal oxides are the key technology behind most of our electronics. However, surprisingly little is known about the mechanical properties of these nanometer-scale technological marvels. Empa researcher Vivek Devulapalli aims to close this knowledge gap. He has been awarded a two-year Empa Young Scientist Fellowship for his research project.

Switzerland’s gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 1.6% in 2025 at the previous year’s prices. This continued growth compared with 2024 (+1.5%) is linked to strong domestic demand (+2.5 %). Investment in particular (+3.5 per cent) was the main driver of this GDP growth. Gross national income (GNI) at current prices registered an increase of 2.5%, reflecting an improved balance of income with other countries. These initial estimates for 2025 from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) are accompanied by a revision of 2024 GDP growth at previous year's prices, which is now set at 1.5% compared with 1.4% in the initial estimates.

Address by Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) at the summer event of the think tank metrobasel – Check against delivery.