Trade boss warns Tens of thousands of jobs at risk after Trump's tariff hammer
For Urs Furrer, Director of the Swiss Trade Association, one thing is clear: Trump's punitive tariffs are putting tens of thousands of jobs at risk. The Federal Council must now use every remaining hour to find a solution with Washington.
04.08.2025, 13:45
04.08.2025, 14:02
SDA
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- SGV Director Urs Furrer describes the US punitive tariffs as "dramatic" and warns of mass unemployment.
- According to Furrer, SMEs in particular are at risk of losing the US market - the Federal Council must act immediately.
- He is calling for relief at home and top-level talks with the USA as well as more free trade agreements.
For Urs Furrer, Director of the Swiss Trade Association, tens of thousands of jobs in Switzerland are at stake following US President Donald Trump's tariff decision. The Federal Council must now use the available window of opportunity to find a satisfactory solution with the USA.
Speaking to the Keystone-SDA news agency on Monday, the SGV Director described the consequences of 39% tariffs as "dramatic". Many Swiss companies - especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) - would lose the US market as a result.
"If these tariffs actually come into force on Thursday, there will not only be an increase in short-time work, but also a general increase in unemployment," said Furrer. There will be redundancies. In terms of domestic policy, the Federal Council must now ease the burden on SMEs where possible, for example with regard to bureaucratic costs.
Will the Federal Council still find a solution?
The Federal Council must now do everything in its power to find a satisfactory solution within the time available. The inconsistent attitude of the US President in particular could also be an opportunity.
Switzerland had conducted negotiations in good faith and this result of ten percent would have been significantly better, according to the SGV Director. As Trump has obviously decided otherwise, further talks should now be held at the top level. Trump is "somewhat fixated on foreign trade figures". Switzerland should therefore try to explain how this came about and how important Swiss investments are for the USA.
It is also necessary to further diversify and modernize the network of free trade agreements where necessary.
