Paid vacation days are essential to promoting healthy work-life balance amongst professionals. But based on a recent report from Resume.io, a profession resource platform, American employees don’t get enough of them.
The report, which reviewed data on laws governing annual statutory paid leave and paid public holidays in 197 countries, found that the USA is the second worst country for paid vacation days.
“The USA’ lack of paid vacation days negatively impacts work-life balance in some ways,” Lotte van Rijswijk, Resume.io’s content team lead, tells CNBC Make It. The typical American gets 10 vacation days per 12 months after one 12 months of service, that are all public holidays like Presidents’ Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
In accordance with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, access to paid vacation leave can vary resulting from various aspects including industry, full-time versus part-time employment and union versus nonunion status.
“Studies show that 50% of American employees should not taking vacation time. This lack of downtime may lead to burnout and stress — and in additional severe cases depression and mental health conditions,” van Rijswijk says. “In accordance with the American Psychological Association, 27% of U.S. adults say they’re so stressed they cannot function.”
Based on the report, listed below are the ten countries with the smallest amount of paid vacation days:
1. Micronesia
Continent: Oceania
Total Paid Vacation Days: 9
2. United States of America
Continent: North America
Total Paid Vacation Days: 10
3. Nauru
Continent: Oceania
Total Paid Vacation Days: 10
4. Palau
Continent: Oceania
Total Paid Vacation Days: 12
5. Kiribati
Continent: Oceania
Total Paid Vacation Days: 13
6. Mexico
Continent: North America
Total Paid Vacation Days: 14
7. China
Continent: Asia
Total Paid Vacation Days: 16
8. Lebanon
Continent: Asia
Total Paid Vacation Days: 17
9. Philippines
Continent: Asia
Total Paid Vacation Days: 17
10. Nigeria
Continent: Africa
Total Paid Vacation Days: 17
In accordance with van Rijswijk, the U.S. also falls short within the paid leave department. Though most countries have a norm of 4 weeks of paid leave, the U.S. is the one “developed country with no statutory paid leave.”
And given the increased concerns of an economic downturn in 2023, working moms, fathers, and caregivers shouldn’t expect favorable changes to paid leave any time soon – nonetheless, van Rijswijk says “employers who value employees’ wellbeing won’t cut this sort of profit.”
“Our prediction is that some corporations might consider rolling paid leave (parental and vacation) back to the minimum allowed by law. Nonetheless, businesses with a longer-term vision are unlikely to do that,” she explains.
“That is because when corporations cut paid leave, all employers can argue is that they’re winning back time, and time may be money — nevertheless it won’t be value much if the workforce is overworked, stressed, unmotivated and unproductive.”
For workers vying for more paid vacation days or paid leave, van Rijswijk recommends advocating for yourself by expressing your needs with leadership.
“People can advocate for themselves and their needs by negotiating the variety of paid vacation days with their employer,” she says. “Probably the most accessible time to do that is on the stage of accepting an employer’s offer of employment — but compassionate employers must be open to having this conversation with staff who feel they require more paid day off (especially when circumstances change, like personal health and family size, etc.), irrespective of how long they’ve worked there.”
“One other way countries with the least paid vacation days can push for change is by putting pressure on government groups and representatives. The more noise employees make about their rights, the more coverage and airtime the problem will receive. Over time this might help decisionmakers take concerns seriously and prompt a change in workplace profit law and policy.”
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