Breakfast Show 6:30am - 10:00am

Listen Live

Search

Job losses add up

Wednesday, 16 September 2026 06:35

Geneva's international organisations have shed more than 2,800 jobs since Donald Trump returned to the White House

The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs put the current headcount at just under 23,000, down from 25,696 in 2024.

The UN Refugee Agency, the International Organization for Migration and the World Health Organization have all cut posts after Washington slashed its contributions.

Bern calls the impact "less severe than feared" — no organisation has left, and three states have opened new missions in the city.

The total number of international bodies based in Geneva has actually risen by one, to 29.

 

Share

More from Bitesize News

  • First new AVS payment due

    Swiss pensioners will receive their first 13th AVS payment in December, averaging around CHF 1,580

  • Contraception free or not?

    Geneva voters will decide whether to make contraception free, in what the canton says is a choice between public health and personal responsibility

  • Vignette patrols stepped up

    Nearly 200 drivers have been caught crossing into Switzerland without a valid motorway vignette in recent border checks near Basel

  • Fuel prices close to record high

    Swiss fuel prices are closing in on the 2022 record, with the TCS reporting petrol at CHF 2.05 a litre and diesel at CHF 2.30

  • Mountain attraction record broken

    Vaud's Glacier 3000 has broken its all-time attendance record before its financial year even closes, with roughly 265,000 visitors expected — up two-thirds in a decade

  • Inadequate protection for cyber attacks

    Only 42% of Swiss small and medium-sized businesses feel adequately protected against cyberattacks, down from 55% a year earlier, according to the 2025 SME Cybersecurity study

Follow WRS

Download our app

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play