The 10 Countries With The Best Work-Life Balance: OECD

In times of economic uncertainty, personal lives can often be forgotten to the pressures of the workplace, knocking the work-life balance out of whack.

That might be true now more than ever, but not for all countries. Recently, the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released the Better Life Initiative, examining how various aspects of people's lives affect the general well-being of whole countries. And besides taking into account factors like housing and income, the OECD also looked at the work-life balance of each country.

The OECD's Better Life Index for work-life balance is compiled using three indicators: (1) the amount of time spent on personal activities; (2) the employment rate of women with children between 6 and 14 years of age; and (3) the number of employees working over 50 hours a week.

Habits vary among the 34 countries examined in the report. According to the data, Belgium has the most personal time, with an average of 16.61 hours a day, compared to the combined average of 15.46 hours. As for working mother's, Turkey has the least, with only 24 percent of women with children also holding down a paying job. And it's the Netherlands and Sweden that tied for the least-overworked population, with only 0.01 percent of their respective populations regularly working over 50 hours a week.

Overall the average person in OECD's countries works 1739 hours, or 217 work days a year, and spends 64 percent of their day on leisure and personal activities.

Below are the the top ten countries with the best work-life balance according to the OECD.

1 of 10

10. France

1 of 11

First Slide

Previous Slide

@

Work Life Balance Index: 7.0 Time devoted to leisure and personal care: 16.06 hours Employment rate of women with children: 68 percent Employees working very long hours: 0.09 percent

Warren Buffett's 'Secret Millionaires Club' Awarding $5,000 To Kid Entrepreneurs

Yolanda Quesada Fired From Wells Fargo For Shoplifting 40 Years Ago

States Where Incomes Are Rising The Fastest: BEA

gadgets/slideshows/211120/slide_211120_724077_small.jpg

NBA Players Union Facing U.S. Attorney Investigation

Hospital Debt Collection A Symptom Of A Sick Health Care System

Las Cruces, New Mexico, Threatens To Shut Off Public Utilities Unless Residents Pay Traffic Fines

Work Life Balance Index: 7.0
Time devoted to leisure and personal care: 16.06 hours
Employment rate of women with children: 68 percent
Employees working very long hours: 0.09 percent

comments(1006)

Total comments: 1006 | Post a Comment

1 of 11

Rate This Slide

Rank #2  |  Average: 4

Overworked Hardly Working

• 
  1
• 
  2
• 
  3
• 
  4
• 
  5
• 
  6
• 
  7
• 
  8
• 
  9
• 
  10

Current Top 5 Slides

loading...

Choose your Top 5 Slides

UserName

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Top User Slides

← Prev|Next →

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Users who voted on this slide

← Prev|Next →

loading...

Comments

[Jim Schreiber]

12:59 PM on 07/06/2011

I work in the Netherlands. I get 8 weeks paid holiday, a very reasonably priced health insurance plan and I work for a company that has flex hours. We have public transportation that is clean, efficient and plentiful. The Netherlands is an extremely integrated society. There are people from all walks of life living in Holland. And oddly enough, they have almost none of the social problems that the US has.

Are you kidding me? It's a fantastic life and one I thoroughly love. I'm privileged to be able to work there and live there. And yes, all of these countries are in Europe. That should tell you something. And racist demagogues like Geert Wilders are marginalized.

[tkswilsonall]

08:04 PM on 06/29/2011

It's completely unrealistic to compare the U.S. to any of these countries. They all have a completely different culture. Take Denmark, as an example. It's 91% Danish, which means similar values and morals and attitudes. We incorporate hundreds of nationalities and races into our culture. They have high employment taxes (49%) and high sales tax (25%) to fund all their social programs, but the programs benefit many. They also have low unemployment and low poverty rates. However, they have much more poverty (27%) in their elderly immigrant population than the Danish elderly (1.1%).

[DanSc]

05:41 PM on 06/11/2011

All the nations are in Europe. I imagine leisure time comes easily when your nation has been built with the tears of people of color.

[bouldercreeker]

12:47 AM on 06/12/2011

Um, the US was also built with 'the tears of people of color.' And leisure time doesn't come easily for many Americans these days.

[viking1969]

12:43 AM on 06/25/2011

Another stupid, unthouight out comment.

[angryliberal]

11:34 AM on 06/09/2011

I noticed America didn't break the top 10, I bet we would rank about 35th - 40th somewhere between El Salvador and Peru.

[wespenn56]

09:12 AM on 06/26/2011

About the same as our health care ranking worldwide - 37th I'd venture

[Niklas Schlappkohl]

04:51 AM on 06/09/2011

France shouldn't be in there. I consider Paris my home, but the working day is 9am to 7:30pm for most office employees. (The 35 hour work week is compensated by having 11 extra days of vacation if you work in a company of at least 20 employees.) Regardless, when you do work, the hours are extremely long. Clearly the people who created this report are incompetent.

[European1919]

05:28 AM on 06/09/2011

In Germany, where I'm presently living, the standard working week is 40 hours, ie. 8-hr days. So where is the problem with 35?
But maybe that is why Germany is coming out of the recession (barring reverberations from the disasters in the Greek and Portuguese corners) and France is not.

[Tom Molinari]

09:41 AM on 06/07/2011

"Let them eat freedom fries!"

[mxytsplyk]

12:42 AM on 06/08/2011

LOL Very astute!

#1

[viking1969]

12:45 AM on 06/25/2011

Yeah, they can eat freedom fries as they take their annual 5 week vacation and laugh at us the whole time.

[chitownsocialist]

09:14 AM on 06/07/2011

"As for working mother's,..." Someone needs to proofread this article...

[quietfortoolong2]

05:10 PM on 06/06/2011

Those socialist Europeans and their happiness!!! Bah-humbug!!!

[mandrews58]

10:58 AM on 06/09/2011

yeah...... happiness is a SOCIALIST PLOT designed to destroy us our treasured way of life here in uhmerka

[viking1969]

12:47 AM on 06/25/2011

The problem is the American Dream is in actuality the American nightmare. The GOP is doing all it can to make that nightmare a reality. Too many people would rather beieve in the fantasy of becoming rich than acknowledge the reality of their poverty. That's the GOP's secret weapon.

[spoonbill1963]

11:53 AM on 06/06/2011

Women should be allowed to be home with the kids but that counts against you in this study.

[shaunmarie]

12:33 PM on 06/06/2011

Children from the ages of 6 - 16 do not need to be home while their kids are in school. All the countries listed have incredibly generous maternal and paternal leave programs, and unlike in the US, Mothers are allowed to stay home with their kids until they are weaned and in nursery school.

[spoonbill1963]

01:02 PM on 06/06/2011

A parent should be home when the kids are ages 6-16. It hasn't been that way in the US since the 1950's and our kids are mean as snakes.

[sammyscout]

01:43 PM on 06/06/2011

It's a free country. They are allowed to be at home if they wish.

[Mara Eugenia Sez]

07:52 PM on 06/08/2011

Nothing is free in this country, and most moms work because they need to feed their families, of course one might say "well, then, they should not have children", but then who's going to mow your lawn, wheel you around when you are old, take care of your MTV kids, and give your husband the "care" he needs, Mrs. Schwarzenegger

[troutster]

03:39 PM on 06/05/2011

In the US we live to serve the very rich. Politicians that we elect are in the pocket of the very rich. So it is, and so it shall ever be...until politicians are less easy to buy.

How do we create a system in which our politicians are less likely to sell out?

One big factor would be no re-elections. The war chest is vitally important to a career politican. If a war chest isn't needed, maybe politicians would be less easy to buy. Therefore, we the people need Term Limits!

Term limits won't happen by way of politicians. They're not going to vote against their own financial self-interest. It has to happen from the grass roots.

[spoonbill1963]

11:50 AM on 06/06/2011

Nothing wrong with serving the very rich.

[shaunmarie]

12:34 PM on 06/06/2011

As an appetizer, or main course? I like mine flamed tableside with cherry sauce and brandy...

[monstersfromtheid]

12:52 PM on 06/07/2011

IT'S A COOKBOOK!!

[Barbara L Johnson]

11:44 AM on 06/10/2011

I have been saying this for the last few years. Term limits will get the old guys out of Washington and bring in some new blood with new fresh ideas.

[bouldercreeker]

01:01 AM on 06/12/2011

But you also end up with very little experience and expertise in government. You spend the entire term learning the ropes (likely being very vulnerable to the lobby-sharks) and then you're gone. It's like having student teachers in charge of the schools. Strong on ideas (some good, some terribly impractical) but weak on knowledge. I DO agree that a bunch of the old guys have gotta go!

[Scent]

10:07 AM on 06/05/2011

You jnow the worst thing about all this? - Every single one of those nations is worse off 1. because of the economic mess the richest in OUR coutnry created and 2. worse off for every single step they took following our lead.

There are people AND NATIONS that should definitely not have anything to do with leading. And it is our nations leading the world into desaster because in our nation these exact worst possible leaders lead.

And no, I am not talking about politicians. I am talking about the ones who buy politicians witht he money they stole from the people of this planet.

[marie phd]

04:15 AM on 06/08/2011

The problem with this argument is they are NOT following our nations lead. They survived the W era with UHC. We are the morality tale they tell their children when they put them to bed.

[viking1969]

12:50 AM on 06/25/2011

Bravo.

[Alpha076]

09:42 AM on 06/04/2011

In none of these countries, top 2% owns 35% of income and more than 50% of growth of wealth. US is good place for you if you are top 2% here otherwise you better explore options to move to any of these nations.

[Protocolor]

07:56 PM on 06/05/2011

Unfortunately, they don't want you Americans... Unless you're cream of the crop and are well educated with something that they want (science and engineering degrees only. MBAs need not apply), which pretty much means that the T-Baggerz have no choice but to sit in their own fouled nest.

[seraphimblade]

01:47 PM on 06/06/2011

The thought's crossed my mind on more than one occasion. There's a lot to consider with it (leaving behind family/friends, etc.), but eventually, it's going to get to the point I'll do it.

I know several who already have. Doesn't everyone realize the risk of brain drain, when people are treated like cattle?

[sanfran55]

10:49 PM on 06/03/2011

The US could learn a thing or two, and extend vacation time, for starters, along with health care as a basic right for its citizens.

[spoonbill1963]

11:52 AM on 06/06/2011

Health care is not a basic right. Free speech is a basic right. Free speech costs nothing. Health care will bankrupt us.

[shaunmarie]

12:37 PM on 06/06/2011

No - healthcare will save us money.

The US spends far more of its GDP on healthcare than any other industrialized nation, yet manages to rank below some developing nations on outcomes.

Not to mention, bankrupting people and letting them die on the streets for want of healthcare is barbaric.

[asafeather]

02:31 AM on 06/07/2011

We decide as citizens what our rights are to be. There is no such thing as a "natural" or "basic" right. Rights exist in political communities. One task of politics is to figure out what we think citizenship should entail, e.g., what rights citizens should have. So saying "Health care is not a basic right" is just a non-starter. You're stating a conclusion without giving any reasons. Even free speech is something that had to be fought for, had to be defended as a right.

Further, the economic cost of ensuring the right only matters if the cost is inconceivably high (like giving everyone the right to drive a Ferrari, which is just absurd and for that reason doesn't deserve to be considered in the conversation). In this case, there's serious debate about how costly the right to health care would be. So, because it's far from certain that this doomsday scenario you're imagining (going bankrupt) will actually occur, your focus on the economic costs is misguided, if what we're trying to do is debate what is or is not a right of citizenship. If we think it's important enough to be considered a basic right, then that should be reason enough to change our economic system to ensure that right; after we've done some tough intellectual work on deciding our rights (which you seem uninterested in doing), then comes the task of figuring out how to change the economy to protect them.

[Ramkshrestha]

01:38 PM on 06/03/2011

In the list no USA, no UK, no Australia, no Japan and no Canada. Then why people moving to these countries?

[Taxim]

02:39 PM on 06/03/2011

An endless supply of employers looking for cheap and illegal labor.

[gnorrfa]

01:13 PM on 06/04/2011

Because they love to watch people looking for work?

[StopMakingSense2]

01:37 PM on 06/03/2011

And republicans hate every one of those socialist countries. Imagine the nerve of people thinking "Work to live" instead of "Live to work". This is a statistic the republicans would forbid our government from tracking. Do we really want to be at the bottom of another list? Just keep chanting "we're #1" and go about business as usual.. Ignorance is bliss!

[hondugirl]

09:42 PM on 06/03/2011

Nope! Ignorance is a disgrace.

[Protocolor]

08:12 PM on 06/05/2011

Yeah, ignorance is a disgrace and an embarrassment, but you have to admit that some of the more purified grades of ignorance that some American demographics have attained possess a valuable quality: This ignorance is self-insulating and protects those who possess it from knowledge of their own disgracefulness and shelters them from any sensations of shame.

[techBob]

08:42 PM on 06/05/2011

#32 FnF