Marcy MinianoAh, work-life balance: The often elusive gold standard for anyone with enough regard for their mental wellbeing. However, a recent study has shown that it might not be as elusive as most people think… as long as you’re in the right city, perhaps.
And now it looks like we have the answers to that, thanks to Kisi. The Brooklyn-based software company conducted a study on what are the best and worst cities to achieve work-life balance in 2022. The result is an extensive ranking of 100 major cities around the world — specifically, those that are popular among expats and digital nomads.
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The world’s best cities for work-life balance
This new study from Kisi considered a variety of factors in order to come up with a final score for each city. The factors included are: remote work; the minimum amount of vacation days offered; the actual amount of vacation days taken; COVID-19 support; access to mental healthcare; cost of living; and overall city culture. These were then grouped into three categories — work intensity, society and institutions, and city liveability.
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The conclusion? Oslo is the city with the highest score for work-life balance in 2022! The Norwegian capital got a total score of 100. Tokyo placed the highest in Asia, while Ottawa came on top of other North American cities. Below are the top 15 work-life balance cities, as well as their respective overall scores:
- Oslo, Norway – 100
- Bern, Switzerland – 99.46
- Helsinki, Finland – 99.24
- Zurich, Switzerland – 96.33
- Copenhagen, Denmark – 96.21
- Geneva, Switzerland – 95.82
- Ottawa, Ontario – 95.51
- Sydney, Australia – 94.04
- Stuttgart, Germany – 93.79
- Munich, Germany – 93.65
- Stockholm, Sweden – 93.31
- Melbourne, Australia – 92.76
- Amsterdam, Netherlands – 92.62
- Tokyo, Japan – 92.47
- Leipzig, Germany – 92.45
Also read: 9 Easiest Countries to Immigrate to for Better Opportunities
Cities with the “worst” work-life balance
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Of course, you’re probably wondering which cities are far from the best when it comes to achieving work-life balance. On the other end of the spectrum are — unfortunately — mostly cities in Asia. Among the bottom five are Buenos Aires, Bangkok, São Paulo, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, and Cape Town.
Asian cities also dominated the overworked population sub-category (yikes!). This shows the percentage of full-time employees who work more than 48 hours a week. Dubai, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore all had a high percentage in this round.
Also read: These Are the World’s Safest Countries for Travel in 2022
For the complete Kisi work-life balance study, click here.
To those working in the cities mentioned above (for better or for worse) — do you agree? Go on and share your thoughts on our Facebook page!
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