Lausanne, Switzerland
Thinking of leaving your college town after graduating business school? For many soon-to-be business school grads, the question of where to launch a career is becoming just as important as which industry to enter.
Some business‑school grads are choosing to launch their careers abroad. If you’re considering the same path, it’s worth knowing which countries offer the strongest work‑life balance — a factor the World Economic Forum says is the top priority for today’s job‑seekers.
A recent study by the digital entertainment platform JB identified the countries that offer the strongest foundations for employee well‑being, looking at where workers feel happiest by evaluating financial stability, work-life balance, national well‑being, and workplace stress across global labor markets. The study analyzed nine indicators in these categories, including salary and disposable income, workweek hours, paid leave, national happiness, and stress levels. From there, it weighted them to total a final 1–100 score for each country.
Switzerland checks all the boxes for work life balance. The Swiss workforce has the highest disposable income in the ranking – $5,671 after taxes – and still clocks a manageable 34.9‑hour workweek. Only 10% of employees report work‑related anxiety, which feels almost mythical compared to the stress levels you see in the library during finals.
The Netherlands follows closely behind, offering the shortest workweek of all top‑ranked countries at just 26.8 hours. Despite the reduced hours, Dutch workers still take home $2,531 in disposable income and benefit from a strong work‑life balance score and high national happiness.
Denmark landed in third, standing out for its strong balance of competitive salaries, a remarkably short 28.8‑hour workweek, and consistently high happiness ratings. Another notable country was Ireland, which scored highest of the group, earning an 81 in the work-life balance category.
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