Canada is in the top 15 in terms of remote work, beating the USA European countries dominate the GRWI this year. Canada is 14th, and the US is 16th Canada ranks two places lower compared to last year’s data and stands at 14 as the best country for remote work, according to new research by the cybersecurity company NordLayer.
Last year, the company created the Global Remote Work Index (GRWI), which reveals the best and worst countries to work remotely in terms of four different criteria: cyber safety, economic safety, digital and physical infrastructure, and social safety.
This year, NordLayer evaluated 108 countries compared to 66 last year. Here are the top 10
countries that are best for remote work according to this year’s data:
1. Denmark
2. The Netherlands
3. Germany
4. Spain
5. Sweden
6. Portugal
7. Estonia
8. Lithuania
9. Ireland
10. Slovakia
The full list is available here: https://nordlayer.com/global-remote-work-index/
The index was compiled by assessing and comparing countries using four index dimensions.
Under each dimension are various attributes (sub-dimensions) that, combined, help evaluate
general remote-work attractiveness:
1. Cyber safety — infrastructure, response capacity, and legal measures.
2. Economic safety — tourism attractiveness, English language proficiency, cost of living, and
healthcare.
3. Digital and physical infrastructure — internet quality and affordability, e-infrastructure, e-
government, and physical infrastructure.
4. Social safety — personal rights, inclusiveness, and safety.
How does Canada rank?
Canada performs exceptionally well in terms of economic safety (3), and it is pretty well placed
in terms of both physical and digital infrastructure (15), and social safety (21).
Meanwhile, cyber safety is not among its main strengths (32). Overall, Canada is ranking
relatively well across the board, with the majority of its rankings falling between 10 and 20
places, with only significant negative exceptions being the cost of living (83), internet
affordability (49), and overall safety (50), all of which seem to be quite characteristic in well-
performing economies globally.
In terms of cybersecurity, while Canada’s (32) overall ranking is not the best, this is rather
because of tough competition than the actual situation in the country itself. In fact, Canada
ranks very well in terms of cybersecurity infrastructure (5), and both legislation-wise (18) and
response capacity-wise (12) it is not doing too bad either.
In the face of the growth of new technologies, including the 5G internet service, Canada is
further working on its cybersecurity legislation. In 2022 it passed “Bill C-26”, which is expected
to enact an extensive framework of cybersecurity regulation to cope with the new challenges.
Canada vs. USA
Compared to Canada’s only Northern American neighbor, the USA (16 in the overall ranking),
both countries are performing very similarly in terms of cyber safety (32 and 33, respectively)
and economic safety (3 and 2), with very slight differences across the subcategories.
However, the USA (6) is doing slightly better than Canada (15) in terms of digital and physical
infrastructure. This is predominantly due to a major difference in terms of internet affordability,
where Canada (49) is heavily surpassed by the USA (2). The only area in Canada that slightly
surpasses its southern neighbor is e-infrastructure (19 vs. 23), with all the rest of the economic
subcategories playing slightly to the US’s advantage.
Moreover, social safety in Canada (21) is heavily ahead of the USA (37). While personal
freedom (19 vs. 20) and general safety-wise (50 vs. 62), Canada is doing better than the USA,
the most telling factor is social inclusivity, where Canada (10) surpasses the USA (28) almost
three times.
In summary, comparing these two fairly similar neighbors points to at least a mild correlation
between reality and the stereotypes of Canada being the more socially friendly and the USA
being the more economically-focused of the pair.
Practice good cybersecurity habits!
“Even though some of the big tech companies recently brought their employees back to the
office or introduced a hybrid work model, remote work is here to stay. It’s not just a trend — it is
a fundamental shift in how we approach productivity and work-life balance. Embracing remote
work empowers our teams to harness their full potential, regardless of geographical
boundaries,” notes Donatas Tamelis, managing director at NordLayer.
For people interested in remote work, Tamelis recommends practicing several good
cybersecurity practices:
● Always use a virtual private network (VPN). A VPN encrypts your internet connection
and helps protect your personal information from prying eyes. It is especially crucial
when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks.
● Also, ensure that all your devices, including smartphones, tablets, and laptops, have the
latest software updates installed. These updates often include security patches that
can help protect against known vulnerabilities.
● Be cautious with public Wi-Fi and avoid accessing sensitive information such as
online banking or entering passwords on public Wi-Fi networks unless you are using a
VPN. Hackers can easily intercept data on unsecured networks.
● Enable two-factor authentication whenever possible for your email accounts, social
media profiles, and other online services you use while traveling. This adds an extra
layer of security by requiring a second form of verification during login.
● Use strong and unique passwords. Create strong passwords for each of your online
accounts and avoid using the same password across multiple platforms. Consider using
a password manager like NordPass to securely store and generate complex passwords.
“In the age of remote work, cybersecurity is not just an option. It’s a critical necessity to
safeguard our data and protect our organization from evolving cyber threats. Working remotely
opens up new opportunities, but it also exposes us to potential security risks. Cybersecurity
vigilance is our first line of defense,” says Tamelis from NordLayer.
