The State Council today presented its report on cantonal measures aimed at supporting businesses and workers affected by the economic situation and the increase in U.S. tariffs announced on August1, 2025. Through this package of measures, it aims to limit the impact of this increase on the canton’s economy and employment. To implement the plan, it is requesting 7.9 million francs via an amendment to the 2026 budget. The government is introducing this action plan with the intention of establishing a moratorium aimed at preserving both the social partnership and the stability of the canton’s framework conditions.
Since the spring of 2025, trade relations between Switzerland and the United States have deteriorated significantly due to the imposition of new so-called “reciprocal” tariffs. Initially set at 10% in April 2025, these tariffs were raised to 39% on August 7, 2025, making Switzerland one of the most heavily taxed countries in the West. Many key industries are facing a substantial increase in the costs of accessing the U.S. market. Neuchâtel, as a heavily industrialized and export-oriented canton, is particularly affected by this increase, which comes amid an already deteriorating economic climate.
To address this situation and limit its impact on the canton’s economy and employment, the State Council is proposing a package of measures developed in consultation with representatives of the affected economic stakeholders. A hotline for businesses, support for innovation and diversification projects, strengthening of tools to aid economic development, funding for training during temporary layoffs, and recruitment assistance—the measures that make up this cantonal action plan aim to mitigate the consequences of this increase on exporting companies and preserve local jobs. By adopting this action plan, the State Council intends to help ensure and strengthen the resilience of the affected industrial sectors through support for training, innovation, and the development of companies’ skills and product ranges. Ultimately, the goal is to facilitate the adaptation of the cantonal economy—and, more broadly, the Neuchâtel ecosystem—to the new global economic and geopolitical landscape.
The total cost of these measures amounts to 7.9 million francs. Since the 2026 budget had already been finalized at the time the action plan was drafted and adopted, the State Council is submitting an amendment to the budget. Given the highly cyclical nature of the situation and in order to be able to respond immediately to this potentially critical situation—both for Neuchâtel’s economy and for the canton as a whole—it intends to offset these amounts by drawing on the cyclical reserve.
Given this turbulent external environment—affecting both the economy and the canton as a whole— the government is implementing these measures as part of a moratorium aimed, on the one hand, at preserving the significant progress made in recent years in partnership with various stakeholders—such as companies’ commitments to child care outside the family, training contracts, and the minimum wage—and, on the other hand, at avoiding placing new constraints, taxes, or cantonal regulations.
Find more practical information at: https://invest-neuchatel.ch/droits-de-douane-etats-unis/