Ireland offers best work-life balance in Europe – Business Plus

Ireland offers the best work-life balance in Europe following an overhaul of statutory entitlements, according to Remote‘s third annual European Work-Life Balance Index.

Remote give each country a ‘life-work balance score’ out of 100 on the basis of factors such as minimum wage, sick leave, maternity leave, public happiness, average working hours, and public safety.

Ireland topped this year’s ranking, leaping from 24th in 2023 due to its updated sick policies, “generous” minimum wage, and high public safety score.

“Our European life-work balance study highlights the possibility for people to find a better balance that allows them to get the most out of both their personal lives and careers,” said Barbara Matthews, chief people officer at Remote, on the newly released study.

“It’s fascinating to observe different working cultures across the continent and how each approaches life-work balance. Europe is a leader in developing better life-work balance, with Scandinavian countries performing particularly well in our study.”

Ireland scored 78.67 following the introduction of statutory sick pay and the minimum wage being raised to €12.70 on 1 January.

Iceland (76.77) jumped from 10th to second, scoring highly in terms of happiness, safety and LGBTQ+ friendliness while Denmark (74.04) placed third after widespread trialling of a four-day working, average weekly working hours of 33.91, and “generous” statutory annual leave entitlement. It’s also considered one of the world’s happiest and safest nations.

Belgium (73.26) rose from 13th to fourth on the basis of its strong statutory sick pay and minimum wage and the fact that many employees adopt a ‘work to live’ philosophy and tend to keep their personal and professional lives quite separate.

Finland (74.04) completed the top five, climbing from 15th last year due to annual leave entitlement (36 days) and a short average working week (34.43 hours). Norway (70.7), Germany (70.5), Luxembourg (70.21), Slovenia (69.03) and Spain (68.45) rounded out the top 10.

The UK experienced one of the sharpest declines in work-life balance of any country analysed, falling from 7th to 18th in the ranking, while Frank dropped from 3rd to 17th due to its very low safety score and decreased happiness rating.

Countries with significant increases in their overall ‘life-work balance’ scores may have seen improvement in areas such as economic stability, healthcare, education, social welfare, and environmental sustainability, while countries that have declined may have fallen behind other, more progressive nations or faced challenges such as political instability or social unrest.

“We believe it’s vital for all nations to acknowledge and understand the importance of life-work balance among their workforces, and this is the driving force behind our European life-work balance study — to highlight the strides many countries have made while recognising that others still have much work to do in this area,” said Matthews.

“Global hiring introduces an additional layer of complexity to the life-work balance discussion.

“What works in one country might not translate well in another, given the cultural, economic, and social distinctions that influence how people perceive the integration between life and work — and it’s important for employers and those seeking relocation to understand these nuances.

“There isn’t a magic formula or a neat one-size-fits-all solution to life-work balance — and its perception will vary between individuals, industries, and countries — but with competition for the world’s best talent intensifying, it’s about fostering an environment where employees feel supported and empowered to find their unique balance.”