Europeans prioritise work-life balance whilst Asia focuses on career - study

The Global South, a term which loosely refers to developing economies, is more satisfied with work life balance than countries in the EU, according to a recent study.

The study, carried out by Amrop, a leading global leadership and executive search consultancy, conducted The Meaning of Work study with 8,000 participants across Germany, France, Poland, the UK, the USA, China, India and Brazil.

The study saw German, French and Polish participants report satisfaction below 50%, whilst India reported a 73.3% satisfaction and the USA 59.9%, despite lower social and labour regulatory standards.

Global Chair of Amrop, Annika Farin, told Euronews that what surprised her the most from the study is Europe's "non-willingness to step up and have the wish to go into a responsible role, be it in business or be it in politics." She said she sees it as a wake-up call for European leaders.

"We should take that seriously and do something about it jointly," Farin adds.

With the development of AI and shifting demographics, such as the Baby Boomer generation retiring and Gen Z entering the work force, societies are going to have to embrace changes all around.

"I think we cannot underestimate what's coming. If we look at the demographics, we see what's coming. We'll have to have more people that we bring into our countries," Farin says, urging more innovation regarding migration.

"What I liked in the study and was surprised to see, in a positive sense, was that it seems that a country like Germany remains attractive for other geographies and nearby countries," she says.

According to the study, the USA (33%) is the top global choice when it comes to attractive working conditions, thanks to its strong job market, high salaries and diverse industries. Germany follows with 22%, ahead of Canada and the UK, each with 21% of global worker preferences.

"We should see that as an opportunity. Because that can also go away," Farin says.

The study also shows that countries and age groups are united in their motivation to work for a good salary and in interesting jobs. Pensions are regarded as a hot topic amongst European countries, and have sparked major protests across France and fuelled political debate in Germany.

"One of the topics we really have to talk about, and I know that's not always popular, is that people might have to work longer in some countries, in certain countries at least, particularly in European markets." Farin suggests creating initiatives, such as lower taxation for pensioners that work for longer, and using entrepreneurial role models in the media and society to bridge the gap between older and younger people.

The study also shows that countries in the Global South show a stronger interest in leadership roles.

76% of Indian respondents and 66% of Brazilians aim for leadership or entrepreneurial roles. Comparatively, only 36% in Germany and 37% in France share this ambition.