Depending on country of residence, dramatic differences exist in the working lives of citizens from different nations.
CNBC.com took a look at several major factors that can significantly affect the quality of work life - average income, income taxes, retirement age, average work week and average vacation days - over 22 select countries around the world to compare how these factors vary. The characteristics of a working life within a country also have an effect on the macroeconomic situation, such as the case in Greece, where less-stringent retirement age requirements are speculated to be a contributing factor to the country's faltering pension system.
The data on average income is taken from the CIA World Factbook and is based on GNI per capita while income tax range* and average working week is from the OECD (unless otherwise noted). Average vacation days, which account for both government mandated vacation time and public holidays, are from Mercer Consulting. The statutory retirement age is data from AARP International (unless otherwise noted) and reflects the age in which citizens are eligible for full retirement benefits.**
So, how does working life differ from country to country? Click ahead to find out!
By Paul Toscano Posted 24 March 2010
*Reflecting upper and lower limits of marginal statutory tax rates exclusive of any surtax and sub-central taxes for a single person listing no dependents.
**For example, in the US individuals can retire at 62 but receive reduced benefits until they reach their full retirement age, which varies according to birth year.