Switching between “island time” and the “Manhattan minute”, travel offers a chance to experience a different pace of life. 

But if you’re after a culture with a healthy attitude to work, you may not have to travel far as New Zealand was ranked the world’s best country for work-life balance. 

The study published by HR resourcing company Remote ranked 60 countries for factors including annual leave, work hours and minimum wage to weigh up the rewards and attitudes towards labour. 

It turns out Aotearoa works hard and plays hard. But, importantly, not too hard. 

“You’ll typically see it written the other way round (as ‘work-life balance’), but we consider this a miscalculation — the attitude should be life first, work second,” says the study’s authors Remote. 

The top-ranked countries may not offer the top earning opportunities, but they do reward workers with opportunities and protections for employees’ own time. 

New Zealand exists in the goldilocks zone where the average pay and general contentedness (measured via the happiness index) were both high. 

“Our index revealed the island nation of New Zealand to be the country with the best life-work balance,” said the survey. 

The study looked at wages, worker satisfaction and the average weekly working hours. Photo / File, Bill Varie 

The appeals of “heart-stopping scenery, rich Māori culture, and always-welcoming locals” made it top of the wish-list for would-be expats. The second highest minimum-wage in the rankings also didn’t hurt. 

The United States, on the other hand, scored poorly with a 29.1-hour work week for a $7.25 minimum wage. It ranked 52 out of 60 countries, just ahead of Iran. 

Despite a relatively high happiness index of 6.98, the US was marked down for poor workers’ rights. Sick leave and paid maternity were also hard to get for workers in America. 

Europe led the league of “bon vivant” - with six of the top 10 being from there. Australia also made an appearance, especially due to its relatively high minimum wage. 

Switzerland boasted generous sick leave and one of the highest happiness ranking (7.51) in Europe but the blistering 31.6-hour work week dragged it down to 34th place. 

Malaysia and Nigeria were not the places to relocate to for long lunch breaks and a breezy work culture. With average working weeks of over 40 hours, these countries were identified as the hardest working though for a low minimum wage. 

Whether you’re after la pura vida, or la vida loca - look no further than Remote’s ranking of countries with the best work-life balance.