A 2024 survey by the global human resource group Remote reveals that the work culture in the Philippines is not conducive to work-life balance.
Work-life balance is a commonly-used phrase nowadays that simply means a healthy balance between your work and personal time.
In its Global Life-Work Balance Index 2024, Remote explores various factors that shape a worker's life, using data from the top 60 countries by Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The variables are workplace factors, such as payment rate and minimum wage based on US dollars per hour, healthcare system, happiness index, average working hours per week, safety index ranking, gender inclusivity, among others.
Unfortunately, the Philippines ranks 59th out of 60 countries regarding work-life balance.
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THE PHILIPPINES' RANKING oN THE LIST
The Philippines gets 27.46 points out of 100 as total index score, while the bottom country on the the 60th spot is Nigeria, which scores 16.5.
Workers in the Philippines work an average of 40.63 hours per week and are only paid an abysmal wage of $1.45 (PHP84.61) per hour.
The Pinoys' happiness index score is recorded at 6.04, while the inclusivity ranking for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer+ (LGBTQ+) community is 57 out of 100.
Compared to our Southeast Asian neighbors, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia rank 26th, 37th, 39th, 43rd, and 47th, respectively, in the Global Life-Work Balance Index 2024.
Meanwhile, it is worth noting that the top 10 countries with the best work-life balance are mostly European nations.
New Zealand tops the list followed by Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, and Canada.
Top 6-10 is comprised of Germany, Finland, Norway, Australia, and Spain.
Meanwhile, the United States is on the 55th spot and only scored 31.82 points. The U.S. is followed by Turkiye (56th), Iraq (57th), Ethiopia (58th), Philippines, and then Nigeria.
Back in 2020, the Global Rights Index by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) noted the Philippines for being named one of the top 10 dangerous places for workers.
According to ITUC, the world's largest trade union federation, "Union members were particularly at risk of violence, intimidation, and murder. Employers' tactics to label unions as 'subversive organizations,' in a process commonly known as 'red-tagging,' exposed their members to violence and repression."