Italy occupies the fourth to last place in the ranking of European countries for work-life balance. The study is by Remote, a platform that deals with issues and services relating to human capital on a global scale. Out of 30 European nations, Italy is 27th in the ranking, after Poland and before Hungary. The total absence of the minimum wage and the lack of inclusiveness have had an impact.
The analysis ranks the quality of work in each country based on a number of factors, including vacation time, healthcare, minimum wage, average working hours, leave, sick pay, levels of LGBTQ+ inclusiveness and those of happiness expressed by employees.
At the top of the work-life balance ranking is Luxembourg, where maternity leave is mandatory (100% of the employee’s salary for 20 weeks) and annual leave is 26 days.
In second place is Spain, which has a state-funded universal healthcare system and a significant minimum wage (the equivalent of $9.02 per hour). This data, according to the analysis, is particularly significant if we consider that Spain has a much larger population than the other countries in the top 10.
In third place is France. Notable factors here include the large number of holidays available annually (36 days) along with the high minimum wage available to workers. Luxembourg and Spain remain stable in first and second place compared to previous editions of the analysis. Last year, France was in fifth place, while the United Kingdom rose to the top 10 from the previous twenty-eighth place.