While different surveys show slight variations, Japan consistently appears as a country with very low job satisfaction, often cited for high rates of employee dissatisfaction, with some reports noting significantly lower satisfaction than other nations, linked to long hours, workplace culture, and issues like harassment. Other countries frequently appearing at the lower end of satisfaction scales include China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and some Eastern European nations, depending on the specific survey and year.
Job Satisfaction Statistics By Country [2023]
The 2024 Index found that:
The 10 worst countries for working people are: Bangladesh, Belarus, Ecuador, Egypt, Eswatini, Guatemala, Myanmar, the Philippines, Tunisia and Türkiye.
Countries with the lowest working hours
Which country has the happiest workers? Finland consistently ranks as the world's happiest country, attributed to its strong work-life balance, connection with nature, and cultural practices like sauna use, all contributing to high worker satisfaction.
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Switzerland tops the list of countries with the highest monthly salaries in 2025, offering an impressive average of USD 8,247. Luxembourg follows in second place with USD 6,764, driven by its strong financial sector and high standard of living.
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Toxic behaviors in the workplace include bullying, favoritism, micromanagement, public shaming, gossiping, and exclusion. These behaviors create a hostile work environment, hinder collaboration, and erode trust among employees, making it difficult for the team to perform well.
The 8+8+8 rule is a simple and effective way to achieve more balance in your life. By dividing your day into three equal parts: 8 hours of honest hard work, 8 hours of good sleep, and 8 hours of leisure activities, you can optimize your productivity, health, and well-being.
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Jobs With the Lowest Satisfaction
Security guards, survey interviewers, waiters, sales workers, mail carriers, and chemical engineers were among the least satisfied. Workers in kitchens, warehouses, transportation, storage, manufacturing, and retail also reported lower levels of happiness in their jobs.
In Australia, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force. Australia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 4.3% in November 2025, unchanged from October, below expectations of 4.4%.
Countries such as Belgium, the United Arab Emirates, Iceland, Lithuania, and France have already implemented or are moving towards a four-day work week.
Globally, the average work week is closer to 40 hours. At one extreme, Bhutan holds the record for the longest work week globally, at 54.4 hours per week, according to the ILO. While at the other, workers in the Pacific island nation of Kiribati enjoy the shortest work week at just 27.2 hours.
4 Day Work Week in Japan
Japan does not officially have a 4 day work week, but a 2021 government report encouraged companies to consider offering a shorter workweek. This recommendation is part of a broader initiative to tackle labor shortages, declining birthrate and improve the well-being of workers.
As of 2022, Colombia, Mexico, and Costa Rica ranked the highest number of hours worked per year. Greece ranked the highest In EU with 1886 average hours per year, while Germany ranked the lowest with 1340 average hours worked respectively.
The Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, and Finland follow Norway as countries with the best work-life balance in the world. According to the World Happiness Report 2024, these countries are also the happiest, with Finland leading for the last 7 years.
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