
The more people work, the less time they have to spend on other activities, such as time with others, leisure activities, eating or sleeping. In Denmark, about 1% of employees work very long hours in paid work, much less than the OECD average of 10%. Evidence suggests that long work hours may impair personal health, jeopardise safety and increase stress. In Canada, full-time workers devote 61% of their day on average, or 14.6 hours, to personal care (eating, sleeping, etc.) and leisure (socialising with friends and family, hobbies, games, computer and television use, etc.) – slightly less than the OECD average of 15 hours.Īn important aspect of work-life balance is the amount of time a person spends at work. The amount and quality of leisure time is important for people's overall well-being, and can bring additional physical and mental health benefits. In Canada, just 3% of employees work very long hours in paid work, much less than the OECD average of 10%. More ResourcesĪn important aspect of work-life balance is the amount of time a person spends at work. This project is being expanded to the entire country over 2016/17. A pilot project in 70 locations has also put value on improving the quality of education for young children by integrating the curriculum across the last kindergarten year and the first two years of primary school.

#Life balance free#
Several Länder help families by offering free full-time childcare while others adjust fees to the income level of parents. Länder and municipalities subsidise the operating expenses of public and private childcare providers. Early results include an increase of the enrolment rate of children up to age 3 by 25% and the target for children aged 3 to 6 years old has already been achieved. Austria has created a budget of EUR 440 million for 2014-17 to increase the quality of childcare and meet the European Union Barcelona enrolment rate targets. In Austria, full-time workers devote 60% of their day on average, or 14.5 hours, to personal care (eating, sleeping, etc.) and leisure (socialising with friends and family, hobbies, games, computer and television use, etc.) – less than the OECD average of 15 hours.Īffordable high quality childcare helps families balance work-family obligations. In Austria, almost 5% of employees work very long hours in paid work, much less than the OECD average of 10%. Governments can help to address the issue by encouraging supportive and flexible working practices, making it easier for parents to strike a better balance between work and home life.Īn important aspect of work-life balance is the amount of time a person spends at work. The ability to successfully combine work, family commitments and personal life is important for the well-being of all members in a household. Overall, more men work very long hours in paid work the percentage of male employees working very long hours in paid work across OECD countries is almost 14%, compared with about 6% for women.įinding a suitable balance between work and life is a challenge for all workers, especially working parents. Mexico is the country with the highest proportion of people working very long hours in paid work, with 27%, followed by Turkey with nearly 25% and Colombia with almost 24% of employees all of these countries saw a drop in the proportion of people working very long hours in paid work compared to 10 years ago. 10% of employees in the OECD work 50 hours or more per week in paid work.


Finding a suitable balance between work and daily living is a challenge that all workers face.
