Which jobs often cause a poor work-life balance?
At the end of 2020, during the coronavirus crisis, 7.6 percent of all employees said they experienced a work-life imbalance often or very often. This is less than in the years 2017–2019, when it was nearly 10 percent. A work-life imbalance is relatively common among employees in full-time work and among parents with young children. This is evident from the Netherlands Working Conditions Survey (NEA) conducted by CBS and TNO.
Employees with a work-life imbalance miss or neglect family activities because of their work. The opposite can also be the case, where activities with family or relatives come at the expense of work. In 2020, on average 7.9 percent of men experienced a work-life imbalance often or very often, slightly more than women (7.2 percent). The vast majority of employees (over 92 percent) indicate that they never or at most occasionally experience an imbalance.
| jaar | (Highly) regular imbalance |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 9.1 |
| 2015 | 8.6 |
| 2016 | 9.5 |
| 2017 | 9.8 |
| 2018 | 9.8 |
| 2019 | 9.7 |
| 2020 | 7.6 |
Often among full-time working women
Employees who work more hours are more likely to experience an imbalance. This varied from 6.1 percent of employees with a part-time job to 9.2 percent of those with a full-time job. Within the group working full-time, more women than men experienced an imbalance.
| werk | No child | Youngest child aged 12 or under | Youngest child aged 13 or over |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 7.3 | 9.9 | 6 |
| Part-time | 5.8 | 8.3 | 4.8 |
| Full-time | 8.5 | 11.8 | 7.9 |
Especially parents with young children
Employed parents whose youngest child is 12 years or younger were more likely to experience regular imbalance than parents with older children, and more likely than people without children. If they are not only parents of a young child but also have a full-time job, the feeling of imbalance increases even more (11.8 percent). Women working full-time with small children were even more likely to experience imbalance than men in full-time employment: 16.2 percent compared to 11.0 percent, respectively.
| werk | geslacht | No child | Youngest child aged 12 or under | Youngest child aged 13 or over |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part-time | Total, Part-time | 5.8 | 8.3 | 4.8 |
| Part-time | Men, Part-time | 6.2 | 8.1 | 4.8 |
| Part-time | Women, Part-time | 5.6 | 8.4 | 4.8 |
| Full-time | Total, Full-time | 8.5 | 11.8 | 7.9 |
| Full-time | Men, Full-time | 8.4 | 11.0 | 7.0 |
| Full-time | Women, Full-time | 8.9 | 16.2 | 11.8 |
Occupational groups with (very) frequent imbalances
The experienced work-life imbalance also differs depending on a person’s profession. In 2020, an imbalance was most common among deck officers, pilots, cooks and lorry drivers. Approximately 1 in 5 of them experienced a work-life imbalance often or very often. The occupational groups that most frequently experienced an imbalance are often those with relatively long working weeks, irregular shifts or longer periods away from home.
The questions
- How are figures calculated by CBS?
- How many dwellings in the Netherlands?
- How fast is the Dutch population growing?
- How tall are Dutch people?
- How many farm animals are there in the Netherlands?
- Which jobs often cause a poor work-life balance?
- How many diamond wedding couples are there?
- How much energy is from renewable sources?
- How many people fall victim to domestic violence?
- How many people use the Internet of Things?
- What are the major religions?
- What are the most popular majors?
- What do people die of on an average day?
- How much water do we consume?
- What do we buy online?
- How are the various animal species doing?
- How many under-23s receive youth assistance?
- Which flower bulbs are most common?
- How many companies in the Netherlands?
- Where do Caribbean Dutch children live?
- How do we use our land?
- How many electric cars are driving around?
- Which jobs have the highest levels of mental fatigue?
- How much nitrogen is emitted at livestock farms?
- How many workers belong to a trade union?
- How much have food prices gone up?
- Where were people in the Caribbean Netherlands originally born?
- How many families are at risk of poverty?
- How sustainable is our behaviour?
- What do we import from China?
- How many girls become teenage mothers?
- Has our purchasing power gone up or down?
- How many adults smoke?
- How many millionaires in the Netherlands?
- How many tourists stay overnight in the Netherlands?
- How does CBS handle your privacy?