WORK + LIFE BALANE HOLDS A KEY TO RECESSION RECOVERY

Improving work and life balance for working women, making it easier for Australian workers to learn new skills and negotiate more flexible working arrangements will be key factors in driving a strong recovery from the recession and building a sustainable future workforce. In the latest national survey of Australian workers - the 2009 Australian Work and Life Index - researchers have found that many Australians are still finding it a struggle to balance work with the rest of their lives. One of the authors of the 2009 report and Director of UniSA's Centre for Work + Life, Professor Barbara Pocock says that when asked about how well work fits in with home and community life, a quarter of full time Australian employees surveyed said work often interfered with activities outside of work. This places Australia 9th in a group of 32 European countries, ranked from best to worst for work life balance!

- below Germany and the United Kingdom but above France and Italy.