Value creation and jobs
The public service creates value added of CHF 840 million in other industries and 6,700 jobs. This is shown in a new study by the economic research center BAK Basel on behalf of the federal government.
It is not uncommon for the public service to be perceived more as a cost factor than as an economic factor in the public debate, the authors of the study write in their introduction. This study highlights the various facets of the economic effects.
BAK Basel examined the fee-financed public media service in Switzerland. This is operated by the SRG and 34 licensed private local radio stations and regional television stations. In total, the public service produces services worth CHF 1.8 billion and generates value added of around CHF 940 million.
Compared with other industries, this is almost as much value added as the textile and clothing industries achieve together and twice as much as the agrochemical industry, according to the study published by the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) on Tuesday.
6700 additional jobs
Other industries also benefit from the public service, such as the audiovisual industry or companies that sell goods and services. In total, other companies in other sectors generate CHF 840 million in added value. According to the study, the public service also creates around 6700 jobs in other industries. Every million in fees generates around 10 jobs in Switzerland. In total, around 13,500 jobs are associated with the media public service. The economic effects are disproportionately high in French-speaking and Italian-speaking Switzerland. (SDA)
