Latest news with #GlobalLife-WorkBalanceIndex2025
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Best Countries for Work-Life Balance in 2025
The Global Life-Work Balance Index 2025, a study conducted by Remote, ranks the top 60 GDP countries on life-work balance, scoring each out of 100. Rankings are based on wages, leave policies, healthcare, happiness, working hours, and LGBTQ+ inclusivity. India ranks 42nd in the list.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Top 10 countries with best work-life balance: Major economies including US, China do not make it do the list; what is India's score?
This is an AI-generated image, used for representational purposes only. Did you know that only two of the world's top ten largest economies, Germany and Canada, feature in the top 10 of the Global Life-Work Balance Index 2025? Despite their economic weight, most major economies lag behind smaller nations when it comes to supporting employees with fair leave policies, manageable work hours and access to essential services. Annually published by global HR firm Remote, the report analyses 60 high-GDP countries to assess how well they balance professional obligations with quality of life. Unlike traditional 'work-life balance' approaches, this index reverses the emphasis, focusing instead on "life-work balance", the idea that life should come first, and work should support rather than dominate it. Using weighted criteria such as statutory paid leave, minimum wage, maternity benefits, healthcare access, safety, LGBTQ+ rights, and working hours, each country was given a score out of 100. The goal is to understand how nations enable people to live and work well, and which ones are falling behind. Top 10 Countries for Life-Work Balance in 2025 Rank Country (Capital) Region Index Score Avg. Weekly Hours Statutory Leave Minimum Wage (USD/hr) Healthcare Type 1 New Zealand (Wellington) Oceania 86.87 33.00 32 16.42 Universal government-funded 2 Ireland (Dublin) Europe 81.17 34.30 30 13.96 Universal government-funded 3 Belgium (Brussels) Europe 75.91 34.10 30 14.58 Public insurance 4 Germany (Berlin) Europe 74.65 33.20 30 15.16 Public-private social insurance 5 Norway (Oslo) Europe 74.20 32.60 35 0.00 Universal government-funded 6 Denmark (Copenhagen) Europe 73.76 32.50 35 0.00 Universal government-funded 7 Canada (Ottawa) Americas 73.46 35.20 17 11.60 Universal government-funded 8 Australia (Canberra) Oceania 72.10 32.29 30 18.12 Public-private insurance 9 Spain (Madrid) Europe 71.94 36.30 36 8.39 Universal government-funded 10 Finland (Helsinki) Europe 70.86 33.80 36 0.00 Universal government-funded New Zealand retained its crown as the world's best place for life-work balance, improving its score by 6 points from 2024. With generous paid leave, universal healthcare, and strong public safety, the country also saw a minimum wage bump that boosted its ranking. Ireland ranked second with strong maternity policies, a well-funded healthcare system, and an above-average minimum wage. Its performance was helped by a high safety rating and stable working hours. Belgium came in third with a reliable public insurance model, competitive wages, and over 30 paid leave days annually. High inclusivity and good safety metrics added to its score. Germany, ranked fourth, offers solid statutory leave, high wages, and excellent healthcare through a mixed system. It also scores well on inclusivity and working hours. Norway jumped into fifth place, the highest among Nordic countries. Extended parental leave and low working hours helped boost its life-work balance score significantly this year. Denmark, just behind Norway, continued to perform strongly on happiness and healthcare. Although it does not have a statutory minimum wage, collective agreements ensure high worker welfare. Canada, ranked seventh, offers universal healthcare and good safety ratings. While its paid leave is comparatively lower (17 days), it compensates with inclusivity and legal protections. Australia, at eighth, combines high wages and short work hours with solid maternity benefits. However, its healthcare is partially private, slightly lowering its score. Spain secured ninth with the highest number of paid leave days in the top 10. Despite longer work hours, strong healthcare and safety ensured a good ranking. Finland rounded off the top 10, leading the world in happiness while offering universal healthcare and excellent public services, even though minimum wages are not legally mandated. India India ranked 42nd out of 60, scoring just 45.81. While it offers 35 days of statutory leave and 100% paid maternity benefits, major gaps exist in healthcare access, safety, LGBTQ+ rights, and overall happiness. With average weekly work hours at 45.72, among the highest globally, and low public investment in employee wellbeing, India struggles to match leading nations. Here are other notable highlights from other countries Argentina made the biggest leap, climbing to 14th thanks to a new minimum wage and improved public happiness. The UK recovered to 11th after a wage hike and shorter working weeks. The Netherlands had the shortest average work week at just 30.5 hours. Finland, Denmark, and Norway dominated the global happiness index. Austria and Ireland were deemed the safest countries. The US continued its decline, dropping to 59th, due to zero statutory leave, limited maternity support, and lower safety and inclusivity scores. Nigeria, with poor healthcare, safety, and long hours, ranked last. How the index was calculated The 2025 Life-Work Balance Index analysed data from the top 60 GDP nations using metrics such as: Statutory annual leave and maternity benefits Minimum wage and sick pay Healthcare quality LGBTQ+ inclusivity and public safety Happiness scores Average working hours per week Each metric was given a weight based on relevance, and countries were assigned an overall score out of 100. Lower scores in hours worked and safety rankings were considered better, while higher values in leave, inclusivity, and pay improved scores. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Business
- Newsweek
20 Best Countries For Work-Life Balance—And U.S. Isn't On It
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A new report by Global has revealed the top countries for work-life balance in 2025, with New Zealand leading the world, and the U.S. is not included. Why It Matters Maintaining a good work-life equilibrium means having enough time and energy to manage work demands while also enjoying family, hobbies, rest, and personal well-being. A healthy work-life balance helps reduce stress, prevents burnout, and improves overall quality of life. Ultimately, it's about maintaining productivity at work without sacrificing health, relationships, or personal fulfillment. However, not only does the U.S. fail to place in the top 20 countries in the world with the best work-life balance—it came in second to last overall across 60 countries included in the survey. The findings put it well behind other major economies like the U.K., Germany, Canada and Australia. Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty/Canva Which Countries Have The Best Work-Life Balance? The Global Life-Work Balance Index 2025 by global HR solutions provider Remote evaluated 60 countries, factored in variables like paid leave, sick pay, maternity benefits, minimum wage, healthcare access, work hours, safety, and LGBTQ+ inclusivity. Each nation received a score out of 100. New Zealand came out on top with an impressive index score of 86.9, thanks to its 32 days of paid time off, 26 weeks of paid maternity leave at full pay, universal healthcare, and a minimum wage of $16.42. Ireland and Belgium followed closely behind with scores of 81.2 and 75.9, respectively. Scandinavian countries like Norway, Denmark, and Finland also ranked high, bolstered by generous parental leave and universal healthcare, despite offering no national minimum wage. Australia also made the top 10, offering a world-leading minimum wage of $18.12 - though its maternity leave offerings were less generous than European counterparts. Meanwhile, the United States was absent from the top rankings due to its lack of statutory paid parental leave and private healthcare system. Lower in the top 20 rankings, Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic scored lower largely due to lower minimum wages and more limited leave, despite generous maternity protections. Unfortunately, the U.S. is well behind all of these—placing 59th overall, beating only Nigeria. "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 concludes. Other factors, like a federal minimum wage of $7.50 that has not changed since 2009 and a private healthcare system, also likely contributed to its low ranking. What People Are Saying Remote in its study findings: "Across the globe, life-work balance remains fundamental to our physical and emotional wellbeing. We should all have the time and freedom to engage meaningfully with our lives outside of work." What Happens Next While the U.S. still lags behind many developed nations in terms of work-life balance, there is some progress—through both legislative proposals at federal and state levels and the corporate world embracing flexible work models. A bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced two bills—the Paid Family Leave Public‑Private Partnerships Act and the Interstate Paid Leave Action Network Act, so far in 2025. Since the coronavirus pandemic, corporations have increasingly adopted hybrid and remote work.
Indian Express
24-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Top 10 countries leading in work-life balance in 2025: Where does India rank globally?
Global Life-Work Balance Index 2025: Work-life balance is becoming non-negotiable and a top motivator for employees worldwide. About 83% of employees reported work-life balance as a top priority in their current or future roles, outranking pay and compensation in importance for the first time in 22 years in the 2025 Randstad work survey. This can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 'always on' culture, which led to the blurring of boundaries in professional and personal life and employees struggling to fully 'disconnect' from work. Remote, rejecting the traditional term 'work-life balance', has rephrased it into 'life-work balance', as life comes first and work should exist in service of enriching it. In its annual survey of the Global Life-Work Balance Index 2025, it highlights countries that are leading the charge, with economic, technological, and societal factors influencing much of the workforce globally. New Zealand retained its #1 rank for the third time in a row, improving its score by more than six points due to a slight increase in minimum wage, along with European countries dominating with seven ranking in the top 10; however, strikingly, no countries made it from the Asia and MENA region. On the contrary, the largest global economies like India rank #42 globally with a 45.81 score, with 35 days of annual statutory leave; whereas, the United States of America is on its way to a burnout epidemic with long working hours and limited paid leave, falling to #59th position out of the 60 countries surveyed in 2025. Source: Remote – Global Life-Work Index 2025 Methodology: Remote assesses the quality of life-work balance in the world's top 60 GDP countries, ranking each nation out of 100. The overall score is determined through minimum wage, sick leave, maternity leave, healthcare availability, public happiness, average working hours, and LGBTQ+ inclusivity. Cherry Gupta is an Assistant Manager - Content at The Indian Express. She is responsible for crafting compelling narratives, uncovering the latest news and developments, and driving engaging content based on data and trends to boost website traffic and audience engagement. One can connect with her on LinkedIn or by mail at ... Read More
Time Out
23-06-2025
- Business
- Time Out
Canada named one of the best countries in the world for work-life balance in 2025
Craving a better work-life balance? The third annual ranking of the Global Work-Life Balance Index has been revealed, which assessed 60 countries setting the gold standard based on factors such as annual vacation, paid maternity leave, sick leave, healthcare, public safety, public happiness, LGBTQ+ inclusivity and average working hours. Remote, a global authority on remote employment, issued each country an overall work-life balance score out of 100, and these are the 10 countries that came out on top. What country has the best work-life balance? New Zealand topped the index for the third year in a row thanks to strong scores in areas like annual leave, safety, public happiness, and one of the world's highest minimum wages—making it one of the best countries for work-life balance. While hard work is valued, Kiwi culture embraces the idea that 'life is for living,' and employers generally respect that balance. Where does Canada rank in work-life balance? Canada may have slipped two spots this year, but it remained the only country in the Americas to crack the top 10 for work-life balance, coming in at number 7. In sharp contrast to the U.S., which ranked 59th out of 60, 'The Great White North' delivered strong results across multiple metrics in the 2025 study. Canada stood out for generous statutory sick pay, solid public safety, and LGBTQ+ inclusivity, not to mention its universal government-funded healthcare system—a key difference from the U.S. While Canadian workplaces value punctuality and reliability, employees generally maintain a clear boundary between their professional and personal lives. What are the top 10 best countries for work-life balance? For more information about Remote's Global Life-Work Balance Index 2025, click here.
