Malaysia has been ranked the second worst country for work-life balance among 60 of the highest gross domestic product (GDP) nations globally. The ranking was based on a study by Remote, a human resource company specialising in connecting employers with international talents, which analysed data collected in March 2023. Nine key factors were evaluated in producing the ranking: the number of statutory annual leave days, minimum statutory sick pay, the number of statutory maternity leave days, the percentage of the wage for statutory maternity leave, minimum wage, healthcare, happiness index, average weekly working hours, and LGBTQ+ inclusivity.
“The goal of this study is to represent each country’s life-work balance accurately, reimagining the popular phrase ‘work-life balance’ to showcase how businesses in each country are looking to put life before work,” Remote wrote.
Malaysia scored 27.51 out of 100 in the study, with an average workweek of 40.8 hours and a minimum wage of USD1.07 (about RM5.04) per hour. In comparison, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, and the UAE have the highest number of statutory leave days, with 53, 40, 43, and 40 days respectively. The only country ranked lower than Malaysia is Nigeria, which has only five days of statutory leave, 40.8 hours of work per week, and a minimum wage of USD0.43 (about RM2.02) per hour. “Employees in Mexico, Malaysia, and Nigeria are the most overworked, each clocking up over 40 hours on average each week, including full- and part-time workers,” Remote highlighted.
New Zealand, Spain, France, Australia, and Denmark are the top five countries with the best work-life balance. The top three Asian countries on the list are Taiwan (16th place), Singapore (19th place), and South Korea (32nd place). Japan is ranked at the 38th place, with 30.7 weekly working hours.
