A survey released by the OECD shows that the Netherlands has one of the world's best work-life balances. This puts the Netherlands in an even better position than last year, while the rest of Europe fared well too.

Work-life balance

The survey compared two elements for each country: average work hours per week and average annual wages.

The USA was revealed to have one of the highest average wages (over 50.000 U.S dollars), which corresponds to an average work week of 38 hours.

However, the average salaries of other nations often matched or came close behind the American figure - while their work hours were significantly lower.

For instance, the Swiss average salary nearly matches that of America, but Swiss workers put in an average of 155 fewer hours per year.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Netherlands was revealed to have the best work week schedule in the world. The average salary in the Netherlands is an impressive 47.000 U.S. dollars, while the mean work week consists of a measly 29 hours.

Europe does it better

In comparison to the USA, workers in European countries benefit from much less strict working hours.

For instance, seven nations in Western Europe have an average work week of 35 hours or less (Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland and Belgium).