News

Oh no! Australia has dropped in a global ranking of the best countries for work-life balance

New Zealand took the top spot, while Australia slipped from fourth to eighth place

Melissa Woodley
Written by
Melissa Woodley
Travel & News Editor, Time Out Australia
Melbourne's CBD skyline (including the Yarra River and Arts Centre) at sunset.
Photograph: Visit Victoria
Advertising

We’ve all heard it before, “work hard, play hard” – but it seems Australians might be taking this mantra a bit too seriously. A new global study has unveiled the countries with the healthiest work-life balance in 2024, and the Aussie flag isn’t flying as high this year.

For its second annual global work-life balance index, employment platform Remote looked at key factors, including minimum wage, sick leave, maternity leave, healthcare, public happiness, and LGBTQ+ inclusivity. They gathered this data from the world's top 60 GDP countries, assigning each a total 'work-life balance' score out of 100.

Topping the rankings for the second year running was New Zealand, with an impressive score of 80.76. Our mates across the ditch fared particularly well for their minimum wage of around $20.83 per hour (which is actually $3.30 lower than Australia’s) and generous annual leave entitlement of 32 days. 

This year, Australia got bumped out of the top five, dropping from fourth to eighth place. Our overall index score of 71.35 still keeps us included in the top 15 per cent of countries assessed, but we were overtaken by the likes of Ireland (2nd), Denmark (=3rd), Norway (=3rd), Canada (4th) and Germany (5th).

Manly Beach, Manly
Photograph: Destination NSW | Manly BeachCrowds enjoying a Summer's day at Manly Beach, Manly.

On the bright side, Aussies benefit from the highest minimum wage among the top ten countries at $24.10 per hour. Australian workers also score a pretty sweet 30 days of annual leave, just two days shy of our friends in New Zealand. Plus, we enjoy one of the shortest working weeks, clocking up just over 32 hours per week (compared to the global average of 39.19 hours). 

Australia saw a slight dip in its Happiness Index score, which likely contributed to the overall drop in rankings – but this is easily accounted for by the cost of living crisis being felt nationwide. 

On the whole, don’t be too disheartened by Australia’s slip in the rankings. It’s just the wake-up call we all need to clock off early and make time for some self-care. Oh, and let’s rally for a four-day workweek while we’re at it – who’s with me?

Here are the top ten countries with the best work-life balance:

1. New Zealand

2. Ireland

3. Belgium

4. Denmark

5. Canada

6. Germany

7. Finland

8. Australia

9. Norway

10. Spain

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Australia newsletter for more news, travel inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. 

RECOMMENDED:

✅ Australia has the world’s easiest citizenship test – but would you pass?

✈️ Three Australian destinations made a global list of the top 20 most underrated places in the world

🏆 This surprising city has just been crowned as the cultural capital of Australia

You may also like
You may also like
Advertising