Risk history

Today's welfare state is the product of a long history, dating back to the mid-19th century. Depending on the risk, various social security institutions were created.

Highlights

Selected contributions on current topics

Poster (1925) by Karl Bicke for the popular vote of 24 May 1925 (Rothenberger initiative). Swiss National Library, Bern, SNL_POL_77.

How is the Old-Age and Survivors’ Insurance (OASI) financed?

The current vote is part of a decades-long debate about contributions, taxes, demographics and the intergenerational contract. The question of which sources should fund the Old-Age and Survivors’ Insurance (OASI) repeatedly takes centre stage

Old Age
1890–1947
1948-1990
1990–…

List of soldiers who died in 1918 due to the Spanish flu. Names have been redacted. Bassegoda, Jean: 75 Years of Military Insurance, 1901–1976. Bern 1976.

125 years ago: introduction of the first social insurance

Anyone performing military service is subject to special risks such as accidents, illness or death. The state took over responsibility for social insurance for soldiers at an early stage. In 1901, Parliament introduced the first social insurance in Switzerland in the form of military insurance.

Illness
Accidents
Disabilities
1890–1947

Labour Day procession, Münsterbrücke, Zurich, 1976. Sozialarchiv, Sozarch_F_5069-Na-003-018.

Social insurance for foreigners

World War I marked a turning point in terms of migration. Foreign workers were then subject to disadvantages as regards social policy – for instance, under the seasonal worker statute. Even today, the impact of migration on the country's social systems is still the subject of controversial debate.

Unemployment
Accidents
Old Age
Poverty
Illness
1848–1890
1890–1947
1948-1990
1990–…
Affected groups

Photomontage by Walter Erb: Production of goods and unemployment (Euro-Stoffe AG company and labour office). Swiss Social Archives, Zurich.

The Reorganization of Unemployment Insurance in Response to the Economic Crisis

In response to the recession of 1974/1975 Switzerland introduced a nationwide obligation for unemployment insurance. However, its implementation was a long drawn-out affair. A definitive solution was only fully implemented in 1984.

Unemployment
1948-1990

Timeline

Key events and stages of Switzerland's welfare state history

1848–1890

Overview article

Poverty and Social Policy before the Age of Social Security

In the 19^th century, industrialisation, urban growth and increase in population brought about new forms of poverty and social plight. These were considered particularly severe by contemporary observers. The ‘social question’ increasingly dominated socio-political discourse at the time.

Poverty
1848–1890

Swiss national exhibition 1883, Zurich, Zentralbibliothek Zürich

Poverty and Social Policy before the Age of Social Security

In the 19^th century, industrialisation, urban growth and increase in population brought about new forms of poverty and social plight. These were considered particularly severe by contemporary observers. The ‘social question’ increasingly dominated socio-political discourse at the time.

Poverty
1848–1890

Swiss national exhibition 1883, Zurich, Zentralbibliothek Zürich

Albert Anker, Soup for the Poor in Ins II, 1893, oil on canvas, 85 x 137 cm. Source: Bern Art Museum, State of Bern.

Poor Relief: from Support to Disciplining

In the 19^th century, poverty was largely regarded as being self-inflicted and as a sign of weak character. Those who became poor but were considered fit for work were stigmatized and shunned. Structural causes of poverty remained ignored.

Poverty
1848–1890

Certificat Société fraternelle de prévoyance, Neuchâtel, Late 19th century. Source: private property.

Modest Benefits and restricted Scope: the Provision of Assistance Funds

In 1890, there were over one thousand mutual assistance funds in Switzerland. They offered policyholders modest protection from the consequences of accidents and illnesses. Despite their limited benefits and the locally restricted scope, they formed an important precursor to modern social security.

Illness
Accidents
1848–1890

Capannone industriale, probabilmente una tipografia, intorno al 1900, Archivio sociale svizzero, Zurigo; segnatura: Sozarch_F_Fb-0016-02

Innovative Protection for Workers: the 11-hour Day and Prohibition of Child Labour

In 1877, the young Swiss Confederation passed an internationally ground breaking Factory Act. It was the first time the state intervened in freedom of contract and decreed a set of standards for the protection of workers. It limited working hours and afforded special protection to women and children.

Accidents
Family and childhood
1848–1890

German Accident Insurance Law of 1884, Internet

A new Insurance Model: legal Entitlement rather than Need

Modern social insurance arose in the 1880s in the German Reich. It quickly became a model for other countries, including Switzerland. According to the new insurance principle, benefits no longer depended on needs. Instead, they were guaranteed and granted automatically by legal entitlement.

Illness
Accidents
Old Age
Disabilities
1848–1890

Swiss national exhibition 1883, Zurich, Zentralbibliothek Zürich

1890–1947

Overview article

Ambitious Plans, modest Results

By the end of the 19^th century, there was intense public debate about the introduction of public social insurance. The plans were ambitious, but faced political opposition. Thus, the social security system remained fragmented and strongly characterized by private solutions until the Second World War.

Accidents
Old Age
Illness
1890–1947

Swiss Social Archives: The New Federal State Vehicle (Social Insurance), probably around 1947. Unknown creator, reference code F Pa-0002-020

Ambitious Plans, modest Results

By the end of the 19^th century, there was intense public debate about the introduction of public social insurance. The plans were ambitious, but faced political opposition. Thus, the social security system remained fragmented and strongly characterized by private solutions until the Second World War.

Accidents
Old Age
Illness
1890–1947

Swiss Social Archives: The New Federal State Vehicle (Social Insurance), probably around 1947. Unknown creator, reference code F Pa-0002-020

Caricature on the 'civil liability' of employers, Der neue Postillon, 2 February 1912, 75 Years of SUVA, Lucerne 1993.

First Steps towards a Welfare State

When the German Reich passed its first social welfare acts in the 1880s, the Swiss Confederation was not even able to engage in social policy. First, a constitutional basis for social welfare law needed to be established – starting with health and accident insurance.

Illness
Accidents
1890–1947

Don Quixote against Social Insurance, Nebelspalter, 13 January 1900. Use authorized by Nebelspalter Editions, Horn.

Bitter Disappointment: the unexpected ‘No’ for Lex Forrer

Despite broad support in Parliament, voters rejected the first bill for health and accident insurance – a painful defeat for advocates of social security. In consequence, plans for mandatory health insurance were dropped.

Illness
Accidents
1890–1947

International Conference on the Protection of Workers, 15–25 September 1913, in the National Council Chamber, Bern. Swiss Social Archives, Zurich.

Socio-political Internationalism in opposition to Unbridled Capitalism

At the end of the 19^th century, workers’ protection became an international issue. Numerous congresses as well as the International Labour Office (founded in Basel in 1901) strove to harmonies national protection regulations, prevent the damaging effects of economic competition and alleviate social tensions.

Family and childhood
Accidents
Illness
1890–1947

List of soldiers who died in 1918 due to the Spanish flu. Names have been redacted. Bassegoda, Jean: 75 Years of Military Insurance, 1901–1976. Bern 1976.

Social Security for Soldiers

The introduction of health and accident insurance did not completely fail in 1900. Only two years after the defeated referendum, the uncontested part of the proposal – military insurance – came into force. Soldiers thus became the first segment of the population to be subject to social security.

Illness
Accidents
Disabilities
1890–1947

Distribution of meals to poor children, Zurich, 1908. Annals of the Swiss Society for School Hygiene, 9/1908.

Rationalization and Development: the Modernization of Municipal Welfare

Around 1900, poor relief began to evolve into modern welfare in the country’s progressive cities. Focus was placed on poverty and social plight in working-class districts. The reforms pursued a maxim of rationalization, centralization and bureaucratization. Public welfare thus entered the domain of legal practitioners, doctors and emerging social work.

Poverty
1890–1947

Caricature of Federal Councillor Ludwig Forrer as Moses. Source: Nebelspalter, 03.02.1912, used with the consent of the Nebelspalter publisher, Horn.

Compulsory Accident Insurance, voluntary Health Insurance

In 1912, voters accepted a revised proposal for health and accident insurance. It prescribed a partial obligation for accident insurance, but excluded fundamental reform to health insurance. In 1918, Suva (the Swiss Institute for Accident Insurance) commenced its work.

Illness
Accidents
1890–1947

Proposal to the Federal Council regarding the organization of the Federal Social Insurance Office, 17th February 1913, source: Swiss Federal Archives, Bern, CH-BAR#E46#1000-865#29#2#5.

A dedicated Office for Social Security

With the formation of the Federal Social Insurance Office (BSV) in 1913, the Confederation had its first agency predominantly dedicated to social security. The BSV performs a number of different supervisory functions. Its primary aim, however, is to prepare and coordinate the further development of the welfare state.

Illness
Accidents
Old Age
Disabilities
1890–1947

Public canteen at the Drei Rosen relief office, Basel-Stadt, 1914–1918. Basel-Stadt Cantonal Archives.

The First World War: Lack of Safety Nets worsen Social conflicts

Switzerland was not prepared for a protracted war in 1914. Deficient welfare, food shortage and rising prices exacerbated social plight. The cities in particular took emergency measures while the Confederation remained hesitating. The National General Strike of 1918 then laid the groundwork for extensive social reform.

Poverty
Illness
1890–1947

The welfare house of the Von Roll Ironworks, Klus, 1920s/1930s, source: Gerold Ermatinger, Kapital und Ethos: Die sozialen und kulturellen Taten des schweizerischen Privatkapitals im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert, Zurich/Leipzig 1936.

Behind the Scenes of the AHV Debates

While the first drafts for the AHV (old age and survivors’ insurance) had to overcome significant political hurdles, pension funds enjoyed an initial phase of expansion in the interwar years. During this period, pension provision became an important market for life insurers.

Old Age
Disabilities
1890–1947

Swiss delegation (C. Hermann, C.H. Rüfenacht, H. Wegmann, S.D. Schindler, K. Ilg) at the International Labour Conference, Washington 1919. BIT Library, Geneva, Copyright International Labor Organization.

Social Security for the Promotion of International Peace

After the First World War, the victorious powers founded the League of Nations in the hope of establishing a stable international peace. These efforts included promoting social fairness and social security. This was also the responsibility of the newly founded International Labour Organization (ILO).

Family and childhood
Unemployment
1890–1947

Unemployed people during the 1920s, Swiss Social Archives, Zurich.

Unemployment and Unemployment Funds: Subsidies rather than mandatory Insurance

During the interwar period, the standing of unemployment insurance was similar to that of health insurance. The lack of obligation at the federal level resulted in uneven protection against unemployment. Only ten percent of the workforce was even insured. The federal act of 1924 did little to change this.

Unemployment
1890–1947

Poster (1925) by Karl Bicke for the popular vote of 24 May 1925 (Rothenberger initiative). Swiss National Library, Bern, SNL_POL_77.

Laying the Foundation for the AHV

In 1925, the electorate approved a constitutional article that enabled the Confederation to prepare an old age and survivors’ insurance (AHV). The bill represented a precarious compromise rather than an extensive breakthrough. The constitutional article particularly left plenty of leeway with respect to the tricky matter of funding.

Old Age
Disabilities
1890–1947

Poster by Carl Scherrer for the vote on Old Age and Survivors’ Insurance (OASI) of 6 December 1931. Source: Swiss Social Archives, Zurich.

Too centralist – too statist: Why the AHV failed at the Polls

The first bill for a modest pension scheme drafted by Federal Councillor Edmund Schulthess’, was defeated at the ballot in 1931. In response, the authorities put off any further attempts at a state pension scheme for the time being.

Old Age
1890–1947

US President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act, 14 August 1935. Social Security Agency (Internet).

The American Model: Basic State Provision in a market-based context

Prior to the Social Security Act, social insurance in the USA was rudimentary. The situation back then was similar to that in Switzerland. In response to the Great Depression, the US Congress passed a modest old age pension bill in 1935, which left sufficient room for the development of private forms of coverage.

Old Age
Disabilities
1890–1947

Zurich City Insurance and Assistance Fund, waiting room at Helmhaus (1936), Edy Meyer. Swiss Social Archives."

Social Security on the Defensive

The Great Depression led to social plight in many areas of Switzerland. However, policymakers remained divided on a suitable response to the crisis. The cities were the first to act by expanding welfare. The Confederation only began to actively address unemployment at a later stage.

Unemployment
1890–1947

Mobilization of the army, 1939, photograph by Herrmann Freytag, Swiss Social Archives.

In the Shadow of war: Change or Stagnation in Social Policy?

Unlike the First World War, the Second World War triggered a drive for developing social security. This impetus was most evident in the introduction of the Income Compensation Insurance for Militia Soldiers (LVEO) and the foundation of the AHV after the war. Overall, however, socio-political change remained both modest and limited.

Unemployment
Family and childhood
Poverty
1890–1947

Swiss soldier with a child. Source: Hans Gerold Witz, Vierzig Jahre Nationalspende, Zurich 1960.

Income security for Soldiers in Active Service

Following military mobilization in the summer of 1939, the Confederation swiftly took measures to provide income support for soldiers. It introduced an efficient system of compensation for loss of earnings that enjoyed tremendous popular support. This became a model for the AHV after the war ended.

Poverty
Unemployment
Family and childhood
1890–1947

Social Insurance and Allied Services (Beveridge Report), 1942, Parliamentary Archives, BBK/D/495

'From the Cradle to the Grave': the Beveridge Model for Comprehensive Social Provision

Towards the end of the Second World War, plans for the post-war order were debated in many countries. The programmatic Beveridge Report is a prominent case in point. It outlined a model of social welfare that encompassed all risks. The reaction in Switzerland was largely critical.

Illness
Disabilities
Unemployment
Poverty
1890–1947

Swiss people, help the family! Federal vote of 25 November 1945, Hugo Laupi, Poster Collection of the Basel School of Design, reference: CH-000957-X:4345.

Family Policy under Conservative Values

Family policy issues enjoyed broad support during the Second World War. Family protection was even considered an alternative to the AHV in conservative Catholic circles. A large majority of the Swiss electorate therefore supported the family protection article in the popular vote of 1945. It prescribed the establishment of maternity insurance and family allowances.

Family and childhood
1890–1947

Swiss Social Archives: The New Federal State Vehicle (Social Insurance), probably around 1947. Unknown creator, reference code F Pa-0002-020

1948-1990

Overview article

Expansion and Consolidation of the Welfare State

The Swiss welfare state remained weak and fragmented until the Second World War. A phase of gradual improvement began only with the introduction of the AHV in 1948. Despite new social insurance provision, benefits continued to pale in comparison with schemes in other countries for a long time.

Old Age
Disabilities
Unemployment
Illness
1948-1990

1964 Swiss National Exhibition in Lausanne: futuristic work (Globularia electrica). Swiss Social Archives, Zurich.

Expansion and Consolidation of the Welfare State

The Swiss welfare state remained weak and fragmented until the Second World War. A phase of gradual improvement began only with the introduction of the AHV in 1948. Despite new social insurance provision, benefits continued to pale in comparison with schemes in other countries for a long time.

Old Age
Disabilities
Unemployment
Illness
1948-1990

1964 Swiss National Exhibition in Lausanne: futuristic work (Globularia electrica). Swiss Social Archives, Zurich.

Poster by Hans Erni for the Old Age and Survivors’ Insurance (OASI) vote of 6 July 1947, reference: Unia trade union.

AHV: The Cornerstone of Social Security

In his 1944 New Year's address, the President of the Confederation Walther Stampfli effectively announced the prompt foundation of a state old age pension. Three years later, on 6^th July 1947, the electorate passed the AHV Act; the first pension benefits were disbursed in early 1948. The AHVquickly became the symbol of the Swiss welfare state.

Old Age
1948-1990

Poster for the popular vote of 22 May 1949. Swiss Social Archives, Zurich.

Stalled Development for Health Insurance

While the AHV symbolized for progress after the Second World War, other social insurance bills failed. A proposal for modest tuberculosis insurance was rejected at the ballot. Issues such as a national obligation for health insurance thus remained off the agenda for the foreseeable future.

Illness
1948-1990

Italian immigrant workers at Brig station, 1950s, photograph by Hermann Freytag, Ernst Halter (Hg.), Das Jahrhundert der Italiener, Zürich 2003, Copyright Ringier Dokumentation.

The Welfare State during the Growth Decades

The number of foreign nationals in Switzerland rose sharply from 1950 due to the increased labor demand. This also had an effect on social insurance.

Old Age
Accidents
Disabilities
Unemployment
1948-1990

Swiss Federal Councillor Max Petitpierre at the ILO Regional Conference, 1955. ILO, Photo Gallery, image: e11043, copyright International Labor Organization.

Internationalization of Social Law

In 1952, the International Labour Conference passed a convention on minimum standards in social security. The convention was considered a milestone in international social law. However, Switzerland only ratified the convention in 1977.

Accidents
Disabilities
Old Age
1948-1990

Poster of the political campaign of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU), 1957. Source: 1000Dokumente.

Expansion of Social Security in Europe

The Federal Republic of Germany passed a pension reform in 1957. It linked old age pensions to economic development and inflation. This reform became a topic for debate in other countries including Switzerland.

Old Age
1948-1990

Labour Day Parade: March of musicians and banners. Source: Swiss Social Archive, Zurich, F_5047-Fb-054.

Disability: Insurance and Re-integration into the Labour Force instead of Assistance Benefits

At the end of the 1950s, the time was ripe for the introduction of disability insurance. Although modest in scope, it closed a significant gap in the social security system. It was dedicated to an innovative principle: ‘re-integration before benefits’.

Disabilities
1948-1990

Visita di un’assistente sociale. Emma Steiger, Geschichte der Frauenarbeit in Zürich, Zürich 1964.

Social Casework and the Social Subsistence Level: Modernization of Social Welfare

Many cantons reformed social welfare after 1960. The idea now was to help people help themselves. Models for the reforms – including social casework – largely came from the USA.

Poverty
1948-1990

Health Insurance as Pawn between Interest Groups

The expansion of the healthcare system also produced a significant rise in healthcare costs in the 1950s and 1960s. In response, the Health and Accident Insurance Act was revised in 1964. The act became the pawn of various interest groups. Reform remained selective; no significant leap was made.

Illness
1948-1990

Meeting of pensioners in Winterthur in June 1986: Pensioners gazing at the stage. Source: Schweizerisches Sozialarchiv Zürich, F 5031-Fc-0999.

Progress Towards Securing Subsistence Levels in Old Age Provision

AHV and IV pensions fell far short of the breadline in 1960. Many pensioners continued to suffer from poverty. Supplementary benefits were introduced in 1965 to address this problem. These assistance measures also reduced the pressure to further expand state old age insurance.

Old Age
1948-1990

Poster for the 3rd December 1972 popular vote. Source: private ownership.

The Three-Pillar Principle Becomes Enshrined in the Federal Constitution

In 1972, voters had a choice between two models of pension provision: either the conversion of the AHV into a «people's pensions» or a moderate expansion of state old age provision as part of a three pillar model. The electorate opted for the latter proposal.

Old Age
1948-1990

Poster for the vote of 8 December 1974. Swiss Social Archives, Zurich.

Failed Attempt to Revise Health and Accident Insurance

At the onset of the 1970s, several proposals called for a fundamental reform to health insurance – not least due to cost increases, unresolved funding issues and a lack of mandatory coverage. Yet, voters rejected two reform proposals in 1974. The status quo persisted, as did the structural problems in health insurance.

Illness
Accidents
1948-1990

Empty highway on a car-free Sunday, 23 November 1973, photograph by Rolf Widmer, RBA3-2_10461_2 © StAAG / RBA.

Social Security During the Economic Crisis

The recession of 1974/1975 brought almost thirty years of economic growth to an end. A general sense of crisis spread as a result. Nationwide compulsory unemployment insurance was introduced in 1976 to address the crisis. This was accompanied by controversies over the growing costs of social security.

Unemployment
Disabilities
Old Age
1948-1990

Homeless person in a shopping centre, photograph by Giuliano Da Campo. Swiss Social Archives, Zurich.

Introduction of the Residential Principle in Social Welfare

Until the 1970s, it was still possible for impoverished citizens to be expulsed from their place of residence and returned to their municipality of origin. This practice was finally abolished in 1975. All impoverished people could now enjoy their full right of establishment.

Poverty
1948-1990

Photomontage by Walter Erb: Production of goods and unemployment (Euro-Stoffe AG company and labour office). Swiss Social Archives, Zurich.

The Reorganization of Unemployment Insurance in Response to the Economic Crisis

In response to the recession of 1974/1975 Switzerland introduced a nationwide obligation for unemployment insurance. However, its implementation was a long drawn-out affair. A definitive solution was only fully implemented in 1984.

Unemployment
1948-1990

Message from the Federal Council regarding the 9th revision of the Old Age and Survivors’ Insurance (OASI), 7 July 1976, line graph, Federal Gazette, III, 123.

Addressing Inflation: Introduction of Indexed AHV Pensions

During the years of economic growth, high inflation reduced the value of AHV pensions and forced politicians to adjust pension amounts at irregular intervals. The 9^th AHV revision of 1979 provided a new system: Pensions were now automatically adjusted to annual wage and price trends.

Old Age
1948-1990

‘Don’t forget your helmet’, Suva accident prevention poster, 1977. Source: Suva, Lucerne.

Competition for Suva: Revision of Accident Insurance

The state accident insurance was revised for the first time in 1984. The insurance coverage was then extended to all employees. Suva also faced new competition from the insurance market. Private insurers could thus participate in the mandatory accident insurance.

Accidents
1948-1990

Advertisement of the Swiss Popular Bank, 1983, ISSA (1983) La Sécurité sociale en question: retour aux sources – la solidarité helvétique – entre le bien et le mieux (XXIe Assemblée générale de l’AISS; Genève, 3-13 octobre).

Implementation with Hurdles: Mandatory Old-Age Occupational Provision

In 1972, the three-pillar principle of pension provision became enshrined in the constitution, declaring occupational provision mandatory. The article was only implemented in 1985. Pension funds were also reformed, though to a much more modest extent than originally intended.

Old Age
1948-1990

Vote on the Federal Health Insurance Act of 6 December 1987.

The Failed Emergency Programme for Health Insurance

Following the failed health insurance reform of 1974, the Federal Council and Parliament made another attempt in the 1980s to curb rising health costs. However, the partial revision of the Health Insurance Act was rejected decisively in a referendum in 1987.

Illness
Family and childhood
1948-1990

1964 Swiss National Exhibition in Lausanne: futuristic work (Globularia electrica). Swiss Social Archives, Zurich.

1990-...

Overview article

Quo Vadis? The disputed expansion of the welfare state

Strategy debates and political deadlock, austerity measures and moderate expansion – the development of social security became increasingly controversial during the 1990s. Yet, despite growing criticism, major breakthroughs did occur: including mandatory health insurance, maternity benefits or the harmonization of family allowances. At the same time, a number of sites remain under construction: the long-term guarantee of old-age provision, better compatibility between family and work, and answers to the ‘new poverty’.

Unemployment
Old Age
Disabilities
1990–…

David de Pury et al., Mut zum Aufbruch, 1995, Orell Füssli Verlag. (english translation of the title: 'White Paper' of the Employers’ Association.

Quo Vadis? The disputed expansion of the welfare state

Strategy debates and political deadlock, austerity measures and moderate expansion – the development of social security became increasingly controversial during the 1990s. Yet, despite growing criticism, major breakthroughs did occur: including mandatory health insurance, maternity benefits or the harmonization of family allowances. At the same time, a number of sites remain under construction: the long-term guarantee of old-age provision, better compatibility between family and work, and answers to the ‘new poverty’.

Unemployment
Old Age
Disabilities
1990–…

David de Pury et al., Mut zum Aufbruch, 1995, Orell Füssli Verlag. (english translation of the title: 'White Paper' of the Employers’ Association.

Poster by the GOAL advertising agency for the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) for the vote of 16.05.2004 on the 11th OASI revision, Swiss Social Archives, reference: F 5123-Pe-122.

Deregulation, Market Forces and Restructuring: Welfare Debates since the 1990s

The trend towards political polarization that occurred in the 1990s became particularly apparent in social policy. Calls for deregulation, restructuring and dismantling of social security became increasingly loud. However, voters rejected both risky reform projects and substantial cuts to benefits.

Old Age
Disabilities
Unemployment
1990–…

A Century Old Project Within Reach: The Overhaul of the Health Insurance Act

The introduction of mandatory health insurance had been on the political agenda since 1900. Following a number of proposals, the issue was finally and for the first time implemented in the revised Health Insurance Act. This Act included a certain degree of premium standardization, an expanded catalogue of benefits as well as cost-cutting measures.

Unemployment
Disabilities
1990–…

Poster campaign by the Disability Insurance for the integration of people with disabilities, 2009. Ironic text: ‘People with disabilities only cost us money.’ Internet.

Cost cutting and Greater Personal Responsibility

In the 1990s, the term ‘Aktivierung’ or ‘Activation’ became the main idea behind new social policy. The unemployed and people with disabilities were to gain greater personal responsibility through active social policy measures. The hope to save costs was thus combined with a contribution to restructuring unemployment and disability insurance.

Disabilities
Unemployment
Poverty
1990–…

Poster by the Social Democratic Party (SP) for the vote of 26 September 2004. Swiss Social Archives, Zurich, reference: F Pc-0287.

Partial Implementation of an Old Postulate

Maternity insurance had been a topic of debate since the 1920s and a constitutional obligation since 1945. However, funding concerns proved hard to dispel. In fact, the breakthrough did not come until 2004, when it was decided that maternity benefits would be financed as part of the military income compensation scheme.

Family and childhood
1990–…

Poster for the vote of 26 November 2006. Swiss Social Archives, Zurich.

Family Policy as Part of Social Security

Family allowances were nothing new. However, they varied in amount depending on the canton and employment branch. This lack of coordination continued for a long time. It was only the Family Allowance Act of 2006 that brought standardization. Minimum allowances per child were now set.

Family and childhood
1990–…

Covid-19 pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic caused around 14,000 deaths in Switzerland between its outbreak in 2020 and 2024. The pandemic posed significant challenges for social insurance schemes. In a very short space of time, packages of measures were put in place to mitigate the threat of unemployment and loss of earnings. To this end, the Federal Government initially invested money in Covid-19-related loss of earnings and short-time work compensation. Later, people affected by Post-COVID-19 Condition demanded improved support.

Illness
Disabilities
1990–…

David de Pury et al., Mut zum Aufbruch, 1995, Orell Füssli Verlag. (english translation of the title: 'White Paper' of the Employers’ Association.