Here's where Canada ranks when it comes to work-life balance for parents

Becoming a parent can be daunting, especially for Canadians who work full-time.

Yes, it’s exciting to grow your family with a cute, new little human, but it can also be difficult when it comes to balancing life and work.

Depending on where you live, being a parent with a full-time job might be easier compared to other countries.

HR and employment tool Remote conducted a study assessing 20 of the world’s leading countries against “key statutory and cultural factors that speak to the quality of parental life-work balance in these regions.”

So, where does Canada rank on that list?

According to the study, not as high as you might think.

The True North took 17th place among the leading countries for parental life-work balance, making North America one of the most poorly performing continents when it comes to support for parents who work.

Remote says this is due to the high childcare costs and low statutory parental leave and annual leave requirements in Canada and the US, which placed 20th.

Remote

“There is a critical need for employers and decision-makers to recognize the rights of parents in the workplace,” said Barbara Matthews, chief people officer at Remote, in a news release.

“Working parents make up a large proportion of the active global workforce, with it being thought they account for 34.52% of the workforce in English-speaking countries. Therefore, quality parental support packages are crucial for attracting and maintaining top talent.”

The study assessed the quality of parental life-work balance in 20 leading countries by analyzing several factors impacting working parents the most to give a score out of 100, including parental leave, annual leave entitlement, childcare costs, and access to healthcare.

Norway took the top spot for the most family-friendly work environment, scoring 79.67 out of 100 with 33 days of statutory annual leave for parents.

You can read the full ranking here.