New Survey Shows S’pore is the 2nd Most Overworked City in the World

For a long time, Japan has nursed a rather unhealthy reputation as a country which, though technologically advanced and generally beautiful, lacked a common empathy for its employees.

That is to say, Japanese workers tend to be overworked.

And you don’t have to look far to see why either. In recent years, a number of employees have met their demise at the hands of a serial overworking culture, and it’s an issue that has not exactly been addressed yet.

Much to the chagrin of Japan, I’m sure, though they may have also long got used to it.

And so, that leads me to my point.

In a recent survey done by Kisi, a firm which specialises in security systems, five regions have been ranked as the top overworked cities around the world.

Now, one would naturally appoint Japan as one of the prime candidates here, and well, you won’t be disappointed: the nation of the Samurai is indeed in the top five.

But here’s the thing. Though some may expect Japan to attain first place by a long mile, it appears that its culture is not as morbid as we may have thought. Indeed, a whopping four countries have been ranked ahead of Japan for the serial crime of overworking…

With one of them being our own homeland.

Singapore.

Survey Shows S’pore is the 2nd Most Overworked City in the World

No, I’m not joshing you. Neither am I petunia-ing you.

Singapore has been ranked within the top five overworked cities around the world, and it’s a runner-up at that.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong, Seoul and Kuala Lumpur form the rest of the spaces on the highly-dreaded pedestal.

In an attempt at specificity, here’s the exact ranking list of all five countries.

1st: Hong Kong, China

2nd: Singapore, Singapore

3rd: Seoul, South Korea

4th: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

5th: Tokyo, Japan

Parameters

According to Kisi’s website, the survey’s result was based off an Index that serves as “an indicator of a city’s ability to provide a healthy work-life balance for its residents, while providing opportunities to relieve work-related stress”.

The firm clarified that it was not, in fact, created to be some form of a city livability index, nor is it an indication of the best cities to work at.

To kickstart the study, a list of in-demand metropolises worldwide (which were equipped with enough datasets) was drawn up.

From there, 50 “finalists” were chosen to go on to the last round.

Each city’s overall work-life score was ultimately accessed based off a series of parameters, including the period of time a worker dedicates to their profession.

Sub-parameters such as total working hours, commuting, and vacation days taken were then taken into account.

Additionally, each city’s livability was taken into context, with affordability, citizens’ overall happiness as well as access to leisure spots examined.

To truly make it a 2020 survey, the COVID-19 pandemic was also brought into the mix, and a number of pandemic-exclusive measures were dissected. Such sub-parameters include the restriction of movement and the general economic impact.

In total, the result came off the back of a whopping 19 factors, which served to determine the work-life balance of 50 cities around the world.

Meanwhile, on the other hand, the top 5 cities recognised for their efficient work-life balance are as follows.

1. Oslo, Norway
2. Helsinki, Finland
3. Copenhagen, Denmark
4. Hamburg, Germany
5. Berlin, Germany

2019 Survey

In 2019, a similar survey was done by Kisi, though with one distinct difference.

The pandemic did not come into play.

20 factors were utilised to determine the work-life balance of 40 cities worldwide, and the top 5 overworked cities were projected as follows:

1. Tokyo, Japan
2. Singapore, Singapore
3. Washington, USA
4. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
5. Houston, USA

Yes folks. It appears that Singapore, if anything else, is consistent through and through.

Meanwhile, Japan certainly seems to have “benefitted” off the pandemic, having had its ranking pummeled to 5th by 2020.

Meanwhile, the top cities for work-life balance in 2019 were deducted as follows.

1. Helsinki, Finland
2. Munich, Germany
3. Oslo, Norway
4. Hamburg, Germany
5. Stockholm, Sweden

In the meantime, if you really feel overworked, you might want to watch this video to the end to improve your productivity (and please subscribe to our YouTube channel for more informative videos!):

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