If you’re tired of refreshing Outlook before your daughter’s first dance recital or your boss denying PTO, moving to New Zealand may be the new answer to combating your 9-to-5 burnout.
Global HR platform Remote studied the 60 countries with the largest economies in the world to measure which ones allowed workers to “live and work well.” The index measured factors ranging from paid leave, sick pay, maternity policies, minimum wage, healthcare, happiness, working hours, LGBTQ+ inclusivity, and overall safety. Each country was ranked out of 100.
“As our study shows, countries such as New Zealand and many in Europe are helping their employees navigate the balance between life and work with employee-first policies, but nations like the United States risk walking into a burnout epidemic with a culture that continues to prioritize long hours and limited paid leave,” the study said.
Following behind New Zealand were Ireland and Belgium. Ireland recorded an 81.17 rating, helped by its relatively high minimum wage and generous maternity leave policy. Belgium scored 75.91, bolstered by its sick pay and maternity-payment rate. Belgium also had one of the highest happiness rates in Europe, along with shorter work weeks (34.1 hours on average).
Meanwhile, not only does the U.S. not rank in the top 20, it’s the second to last on the list of 60, due to its lack of paid parental leave and private healthcare system.
“With public safety and LGBTQ+ inclusivity decreasing, the United States now has the second-worst life-work balance, according to the data. The U.S. falls to 59th out of 60, having placed 55th last year and 53rd in 2023,” the study said.
When ranking the countries with the best and worst ratings, the study rejected the traditional term “work-life balance,” flipping the order to “life-work balance” to emphasize the priority should be living first and foremost.
The top five countries with the best ‘life-work’ balance are as follows (scores below are out of 100):
And here are the five countries with the weakest ‘life-work’ balance:
