Three Canadian Cities Rank Among The World’s Best For Work-Life Balance

A new report says Ottawa, Vancouver and Toronto rank among the top 20 cities around the world when it comes to work-life balance.

The 2022 Work-Life Balance Index, prepared by office security firm Kisi, looked at 51 U.S. cities and 49 cities from the rest of the world.

“Rather than being a liveability index or a ranking of the best cities to work in, the study seeks to show which cities provide the healthiest work-life balance for their citizens,” Kisi said in the report.

Over 130 data points pertaining to work intensity, society and city livability were measured, including the percentage of remote jobs, average number of vacation days, access to mental health care, housing affordability and the city’s cultural and leisure offerings.

At the top of the list is Oslo, followed by Bern, Helsinki, Zurich and Copenhagen. Ottawa is the highest-ranked Canadian city on the list, placing seventh with a score of 95.51 out of 100.

Vancouver is the second-highest ranked city on the list, placing 16th and scoring 92.23. Toronto follows as the 19th-ranked city for work-life balance, with a score of 91.12.

Among the Canadian cities on the list, Calgary had the lowest score. The city ranks 30th on the list globally and received a score of 89.38.

Dubai, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Montevideo were the cities found to have the highest percentage of overworked people. The list defines “overworked” as a full-time employee working for more than 48 hours per working week. More than 16 per cent of people in these cities are defined as overworked, compared to just 10 per cent in the Canadian cities.