New Zealand, Australia, and Singapore top the life-work balance score across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, according to the Global Life-Work Balance Index 2025, the third annual index report published by Remote.
Several workplace factors, including statutory annual leave, paid maternity leave, sick leave, healthcare, public safety, public happiness, LGBTQ+ inclusivity, and average work hours per employee, contributed to determining the ranking of the top 60 GDP nations.
Life-work balance
The 2025 Index assesses each country using a ‘life-work balance score’ out of 100. New Zealand (86.87, Top 1), Australia (72.10, Top 8), and Singapore (57.85, Top 25) were the highest scorers in the APAC region.
Malaysia (57.03, Rank 27) improved its ranking by 20 places compared to 2024, primarily due to enhancements in statutory maternity leave in the country.
Japan (56.54, Rank 29) has dropped to fifth from its previous ranking as third among APAC countries in 2024, primarily due to having the least statutory annual leave among all APAC countries, with just 10 days per year.
China ranks the lowest of the 14 APAC countries (38.68, Rank 52) due to its workers working the longest hours of all APAC countries, with an average of 46.10 hours per week.
Barbara Matthews, chief people officer at Remote, said:“By promoting life-work balance, we acknowledge that work is a means to support life and not its defining purpose…We advocate for life-work balance because flexibility and well-being are more than just perks. Our mission is to build a future where global talent thrives not just professionally but personally too.”
