Choosing where to live and where to work is different for everyone and we all have our own set of must haves and must not haves.
According to a Fast Company article that pulled data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the best companies to work for happen to all be in Silicon Valley region of California. Probably not all that surprising, right?
Next to Silicon Valley though, Israel has some incredibly hot startups like Nice Systems and Water-Gen that are making it a hotspot for hot jobs and landing it the nickname of “Startup Nation.”
As for countries with the highest employement rates, the OCED breaks it down like this: Employment levels are highest in Iceland (79%), Switzerland (79%), and Norway (75%) and lowest in Turkey (48%), Greece (56%), and Hungary (56%) with an average working age being 15 and 64.
As for who earns the most, the U.S. still comes out on top with an average disposable household income of $38,001 (U.S.) a year. Switzerland and Luxembourg came in at second and third place. And while the U.S. might be making more, that doesn’t necessarily translate into spending that cash in leisurely ways or an equal distribution of income.
The United States is not doing too well in the distribution of income category with top 20% of the population earning about eight times as much as the bottom 20%. In comparison, Eastern European and Nordic companies have less unbalanced income distribution and also enjoy more leisure time.
“In Sweden, for example, life expectancy is almost 82 years, two years higher than the OECD average of 80 years. Air pollution is considerably lower than the world average, and 95% of the population say they are satisfied with the quality of their water, compared to an average of 84%.
Overall, 85% of Swedes say they have more positive experiences–feelings of rest, pride in accomplishment, enjoyment–in an average day than negative ones like pain, worry, sadness, and boredom. This is 5% higher than the OECD average of 80% satisfaction.”
Basically, if you’re hungry (and have the tech skills) for a place with near endless amounts of job potential, Silicon Valley, California is your best bet. Now if you want to actually enjoy the fruits of your labor, you might want to look into Sweden or Denmark.
Then again, why not get have the best of both worlds by moving to Canada? A staggering 90% of the population says they are satisfied with their current housing situation — more than the OECD average of 87%. The also have lower crime rates than the OCED average and 81% of Canadians feel safe walking alone at night.
You can create your own “better life index” by typing in the factors that are most important to you by going to the OCED site here.