AMERICANS TAKE THE FEWEST VACATION DAYS IN THE WORLD
Americans are just too busy to take a holiday, or so they say.
Despite only receiving an average of 12 vacation days a year, more than half of Americans said they didn’t use all of their vacation time last year, according to a new survey by travel booking site Expedia.
The top reason cited behind why they didn’t use up their vacation time is that “life is too busy to plan or go on vacation.”
There is no federal law mandating paid time off (PTO) in the U.S. In the private sector, U.S. workers receive an average of between 11 and 20 paid days off, depending on how long they’ve worked at that job, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found. The public sector offers slightly more PTO, with workers given an average of 13 to 22 days dependent on how many years they’ve spent on the job. These days are in addition to public holidays.
By contrast, European Union member states are required to give employees a minimum of 20 days of paid vacation, not including public holidays, with many states offering additional days of paid leave.
Expedia found that workers in France take nearly a month off annually, and that almost all French workers believe PTO is a basic right and is critical to overall health and wellbeing. Still, more French workers feel “vacation deprived,” or like they don’t have enough vacation time, than American workers.
While Japanese workers only have 11 paid days off per year, about the same as their U.S. counterparts, they tend to use them all up and have the lowest level of vacation deprivation in the world, according to the travel site. This is because they plan shorter vacations around holidays, rather than one or two big trips per year, Expedia said.
“In Japan, people take time off every month instead of just twice a year. For the French, not even a full month of vacation feels like enough time,” said Melanie Fish, head of Expedia Group brands public relations. “Clearly there’s a lot for the U.S. to borrow from, whether it’s spreading your PTO throughout the year or prioritizing rest on your next vacation.”
2024-06-21T14:29:49Z dg43tfdfdgfd