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'So why so many Sinkies complaining about too much work and no rest?' — S'poreans ask after 'SG got ranked top in Asia for work-life balance'
SINGAPORE: When you think of work-life balance, you probably imagine long weekends, leisurely lunches, and logging off before sunset. But according to Remote.com’s 2025 Global Life-Work Balance Index — reported by AsiaOne — Singapore is apparently smashing it in Asia.
Out of 60 countries studied, Singapore ranked 25th worldwide with a score of 57.85, putting us ahead of Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and Indonesia in the region. Globally, New Zealand (86.87), Ireland (81.17), and Belgium (75.91) took the top spots.
The study, launched in 2023, looked at factors like statutory annual leave, healthcare access, public safety, and average working hours. Remote.com says it deliberately calls it life-work balance to “put life before work.”
For Singapore, the good news is:
- Healthcare: Public insurance and statutory sick pay between 80 and 100% of salary.
- Safety: A solid 1.34 on the Global Peace Index (lower is better).
The not-so-great news is:
- Working hours: 42.6 hours a week — more than New Zealand (33), Japan (36.6), and South Korea (37.9).
- Leave days: Just 18 statutory annual leave days, compared to the UAE’s 44, Ireland’s 32, and South Korea’s 30.
- Happiness: 6.57/10, which isn’t exactly champagne-popping territory.
In other news, if clocking long hours doesn’t drain you, office politics just might. One Singaporean is spilling the tea on toxic workplaces in Singapore and asking the million-dollar question: ‘Is Singapore’s toxic work culture the same everywhere?’ — Singaporean asks, ‘Why can’t people just focus on doing their jobs instead of office politics?’
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