Keeping the right balance between your personal life and work life is a constant balancing act – with some countries making it easier than others.
And it seems like Australians are letting work get on top of us more than ever.
New results from a global survey, researched by employment experts Remote, show Australia has lost its place in the world’s top five.
Honourable Mention – USA
The USA was one of the worst-ranked countries for work-life balance.
It placed a miserable 55th out of 60 countries, falling two points from the year before.
Honourable Mention – UK
The United Kingdom also dropped out of the top ten for work-life balance.
Last year it took eighth place, this year it dropped to 15th place.
The UK declined across many factors and had a relatively low safety score.
8. Australia
Last year it was ranked fourth in work-life balance, this year Australia slipped to eighth place.
While Australian workers enjoy the highest minimum wage of any country studied and among the shortest working weeks, we reported a lower overal happiness score in the last year.
Australians clocked up just over 32 hours per week at work on average – compared to the study’s overall average of 39.19 hours.
1. New Zealand
Our neighbours across the ditch ranked number 1 in the world for work-life balance.
New Zealand offers a high minimum wage along with a generous annual leave of 32 days.
It also scored well on the “happiness index” and is considered one of the safest countries to live and work.
2. Ireland
Ireland has lept into the top 10 after placing 21st in 2023.
They scored consistently well across many of the metrics analysed in the study.
Backed by a universal government-funded healthcare system, Ireland also offers one of the highest minimum wages in the index.
That gave them the second-best work-life balance in the world.
3. Belgium
Neighbouring Belgium tied with Denmark for third for many of the same reasons, alongside a commitment to the “work to live” mantra.
