Even though a workday might seem never-ending at times, you may have it easy in comparison to workers in other countries. This is our ranking of the number of hours individuals work each week across various nations, based on OECD statistics on full-time, part-time, employed, and self-employed workers, as well as overtime that is paid and unpaid.
Discover which nation has the worst work life balance based on the hours that they work.
#1 Mexico
Mexico is the country with the highest rate of labor force participation in the world. The standard workday is from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., however, employers set the hours because labor rules in Mexico are not very strict. Remarkably, only 30% of workers work more than 50 hours a week, leaving them with just twelve hours a day for rest, relaxation, and eating. This prevents them from having a proper work life balance. Moreover, Mexico also has a very long commute to and from work which usually takes about 3 hours.
Working days in Costa Rica are divided into day and night shifts. The legal maximum for a day shift is eight hours, from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., while the legal maximum for a night shift is six hours, from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. Working up to 48 hours a week is permitted within these legal bounds; in 2017, the average was a high of 41.9 hours. Additionally, workers are only eligible for two weeks of vacation for every fifty weeks of labor which makes work life balance impossible.
If the legislation had not changed, South Koreans would have been ranked higher on this table since they worked far longer hours than they do now. Eight hours a day, five days a week, is now required by law. But a lot of people wind up working later than their agreed upon hours. It is difficult for workers to achieve work life balance in this condition.
Greece is a nation that is still trying to recover from recent economic difficulties. Thus, work life balance is pretty non-existent. Greece’s business hours are typically from Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. However, banks stay open later, from 8.30 a.m. to 2 p.m. On Fridays, banks close at 1:30 p.m. On the other hand, stores are open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Many workers are kept within the 40-hour maximum workweek stipulated by Russian labor legislation. On the other hand, state employees often have a shorter workweek. Some physicians reportedly only work from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Russians take good advantage of their holidays, taking at least 28 days off each year. This rises for workers in dangerous environments or in the far north.
