Leaving everyone behind in a cloud of dust 12:50.9 The now 69-year-old middle-distance runner and Olympian Markus Ryffel is a legend in Switzerland. His Swiss record over 5,000 metres seemed unbreakable. But Dominic Lobalu bettered Ryffel’s 40-year record by 16 seconds at the end of May, setting a new mark of 12:50.9 minutes. In other words: Lobalu shattered the record. 65, 274 As Lobalu breaks records on the running track, working people in Switzerland – most in rather more sedentary occupations – are responsible for superlatives of a completely different kind. They work an average of 65,274 hours over a lifetime – completely “outperforming” their counterparts in France (55,620), Germany (53,098) and Luxembourg (51,859). Source: Eurostat, OECD 1.39 This begs the question: do people in Switzerland have any time left for family life? Switzerland’s birth rate has fallen to 1.39 children per woman, the lowest it has been for over 20 years. A developed country’s population will age and decline without a birth rate of at least 2.1 – unless it is supplemented by immigrants. Like Dominic Lobalu. Source: Federal Statistical Office 180, 000 With or without children, cleaning and other household chores are another fact of life. There is always somewhere to wipe down or hoover. A plume containing 180,000 tonnes of Sahara dust blew over Switzerland on 30 March 2024. Swiss skies turned an eerie orange. Cue the next question in our editorial office: whose turn is it to do the spring cleaning? www.revue.link/dust Source: SRF Meteo 3,000 Only days after his feat over 5,000 metres, Lobalu, 25, also broke the Swiss 3,000-metre record. The story behind the story: Lobalu fled to Switzerland from South Sudan. “I grew up as a refugee,” he says. “This is my identity. And my goal is to win a medal. For all refugees.” www.dominiclobalu.ch 3.7 Talking of work, Switzerland’s unemployment rate of 3.7 per cent is really low. Look for work and you will normally find it. Labour shortages are the big issue at the moment, with companies struggling to find the right employees. Source: Federal Statistical Office FIGURES COMPILED BY MARC LETTAU “Swiss Review”, the magazine for the Swiss Abroad, is in its 49th year of publication and is published six times a year in German, French, English and Spanish in 13 regional editions. It has a total circulation of 431,000, including 253,000 electronic copies. “Swiss Review”’s regional news are published four times a year. The ordering parties are fully responsible for the content of advertisements and promotional inserts. This content does not necessarily represent the opinion of either the editorial office or the publisher. All Swiss Abroad who are registered with a Swiss representation receive the magazine free of charge. Anyone else can subscribe for an annual fee (Switzerland: CHF 30 / Abroad: CHF 50). ONLINE EDITION www.revue.ch EDITORS Marc Lettau, Editor-in-Chief (MUL) Stéphane Herzog (SH) Theodora Peter (TP) Susanne Wenger (SWE) Paolo Bezzola (PB, FDFA representative) FDFA OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS The editorial responsibility for the “Notes from the Federal Palace” section is assumed by the Consular Directorate, Innovation and Partnerships, Effinger- strasse 27, 3003 Berne, Switzerland. kdip@eda.admin.ch | www.eda.admin.ch EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Nema Bliggenstorfer (NB) TRANSLATION SwissGlobal Language Services AG, Baden LAYOUT Joseph Haas, Zurich PRINT Vogt-Schild Druck AG, Derendingen PUBLISHER The “Swiss Review” is published by the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA). The postal address of the publisher, the editorial office and advertising department is: Organisation of the Swiss Abroad, Alpenstrasse 26, 3006 Berne. revue@swisscommunity.org Phone: +41 31 356 61 10 Bank details: CH97 0079 0016 1294 4609 8 / KBBECH22 COPY DEADLINE FOR THIS EDITION 10 June 2024 CHANGES OF ADDRESS Please advise your local embassy or consulate. The editorial team cannot access your address and administrative data. Thank you. Swiss Review / July 2024 / No.4 11 Switzerland in figures Imprint
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