Australia work life balance slips four places from last year 20240718 p5ro6u.html – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Australia slips in the world ranking of work-life balances

Josh Hohne

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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.

Read on to see where Australia landed, and which countries had the best work-life balance.

Attribution: Nine
Honourable Mention - USA
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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.

Attribution: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Honourable Mention - UK
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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.

Attribution: Getty Images/iStockphoto
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10. Spain
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10. Spain

Kicking off the top ten is the home of the siesta, Spain.

Spain has generous annual leave entitlements of 36 days, and one of the best parental leave policies in the world.

Attribution: Getty
9. Norway
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9. Norway

Norweigians rarely work long hours and rank among the happiest citizens in the world.

Along side 35 days of leave - beating out the average of 28, people in Norway enjoyed a favourable work-life balance.

Attribution: Getty Images/iStockphoto
8. Australia
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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.

Attribution: Getty Images/iStockphoto
7. Finland
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7. Finland

Another of the European nations making the top ten, Finland boasts a strong education system, access to high-quality healthcare, a robust economy, and a commitment to human rights.

That was enough for it to make seventh place.

Attribution: Getty Images/iStockphoto
6. Germany
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6. Germany

Next up was Germany, with its first entry into the top ten.

German had the highest minimum wage of any European nation, alongside relatively short working hours to ensure an easy work-life balance.

Attribution: Getty Images/iStockphoto
3. Denmark
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3. Denmark

In a tie for third place, Denmark earned the third-best work-life balance.

It is also considered the happiest nation on earth., with plenty of annual leave and favourable parental leave policies.

Attribution: Getty
1. New Zealand
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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.

Attribution: Getty
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