A recent study by Remote, a global human resources services company on the work-life balance among the 60 highest GDP nations across the globe yielded some interesting results and doesn’t make for good reading for us Malaysians.
This is because, out of all the 60 nations in the Global Life Work Balance Index, our country came in 2nd last, and the worst Asian nation in the index.
What the study is about and how it was conducted
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The study sought to find the countries with the best work-life balance by analysing a series of workplace-related factors.
These include:
- Statutory annual leave (total days of paid leave, including public holidays)
- Minimum statutory sick pay (% or wage of flat amount)
- Statutory maternity leave (number of weeks paid)
- Statutory maternity leave payment rate (% of wage)
- Minimum wage (USD per hour)* (Dividing annual minimum wage (US$) rate by 52 weeks and then by the length of the standard hour workweek.) (Correct to the USD conversion rate on the date the data was collected)
- Healthcare status
- Happiness index (The Global Economy) score (ranked on a scale of 1-10)
- Average hours worked per week
- LGBTQ+ Inclusivity (Equaldex, 0-100, 100 being highest to reflect the Legal Index scores the legal rights and freedoms LGBTQ+ people have while the Public Opinion Index scores how the general public feels in each region)
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Furthermore, Remote elaborated that the top 60 GDP nations were chosen for the study as a global sample and to reduce data blanks. Notably, Russia and Ukraine were removed due to the ongoing conflict between the 2 nations.
New Zealand has the best work-life balance out of the 60 countries
In the ranking, New Zealand was named the country with the best work-life balance with a score of 79.35 out of 100, followed by Spain and France in 2nd and 3rd place respectively.
Making up the top 5 are Australia and Denmark. In Asia, the highest-ranked nation on the list is Taiwan at 16th place, followed by Singapore in 19th and Saudi Arabia in 27th.
Malaysia is the 2nd worst nation in the index
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As for Malaysia, we are ranked 59th with a mere 27.51 score out of 100, making us the 2nd worst country in the index after Nigeria.
The study noted that Malaysia has 19 days of statutory annual leave, 14 days of paid maternity leave and a minimum wage of only USD1.07 per hour.
Moreover, Remote also asserted that Malaysia has a universal government-funded system for healthcare, a happiness index of 5.71 out of 10, an average of 40.8 hours of work per week and a 9 out of 100 LGBTQ+ inclusivity index.
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So, what do you guys make of Malaysia’s placement in the study? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
Also read: Study: Malaysia Scores 5.8/10 for Safety from the State in Human Rights
