Economy:
Lucerne's economy is largely dominated by the service sector, with prominent industries including tourism, retail, consulting and planning, healthcare and banking and financial services. The city is also home to the municipal and cantonal administrative civil services. Figures published by the local government show that services account for 75.5 per cent of employment in Lucerne, while manufacturing accounts for 24.1 per cent and agriculture accounts for 0.4 per cent. Within the manufacturing sector chemicals, mechanical engineering, vehicle construction, textiles and foods are among the most important industries.

Tourism is especially important to the city, which, with its well preserved old town, beautiful surroundings, excellent hotels and catering trade attracts a great number of visitors every year. Lucerne is also well known for hosting international congresses, trade fairs and exhibitions.

Local Infrastructure:
The city of Lucerne enjoys a favourable geographic position at the heart of Central Switzerland and benefits from excellent transport links with the rest of the country and Europe. It is situated on the most important train route between the north and south of Switzerland and is connected with the national train network in six directions. There are direct fast trains linking Lucerne with the nearby international airports of Zurich and Basel.

Zurich airport offers flights to and from approximately 180 destinations in 83 countries located in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas, while Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg Euroairport is one of Europe's leading regional airports and provides regular daily connections to several major European destinations.

The region also benefits from well-developed bus network as well as steamship routes, which serve the municipalities along the shores of Lake Lucerne.

Local Workforce:
As is the case in the rest of Switzerland, Lucerne has a well-educated and multi-lingual workforce and benefits from good industrial relations. The unemployment rate in the Canton is relatively low and, according to the Swiss Federal Statistics Office, stands at just 2 per cent for men and 2.7 per cent for women (2002).

Standard of Living:
Lucerne offers an attractive quality of life and benefits from high standards of education and excellent medical services. The city is a renowned cultural centre and offers plenty of sporting and leisure activities such as tennis, hiking, golf, sailing and mountaineering. There is also a fantastic nightlife, with plenty of bars and music venues to enjoy.