Overview

• The Global Life-Work Balance Index assessed 60 high-GDP nations on paid leave, minimum wage, healthcare access, working hours, safety and LGBTQ+ inclusivity to assign scores out of 100.
• New Zealand led the rankings for the third consecutive year with a score of 86.87, driven by 32 days of paid leave, 26 weeks of full-pay maternity leave and universal healthcare.
• Ireland (81.17) and Belgium (75.91) followed in second and third place, while Norway, Denmark and Finland scored highly thanks to generous parental leave and government-funded care despite having no national minimum wage.
• The United States ranked 59th with 31.17, held back by a federal minimum wage frozen at $7.50 since 2009, lack of statutory paid parental leave and reliance on private healthcare.
• In reaction to its low standing, U.S. lawmakers have introduced bipartisan paid-leave bills and corporations are increasingly embracing hybrid and remote work models to improve life-work equity.