Cutting the Party Short – Irish Workers Get Five Less Holiday Days Than European Counterparts

If you're looking out at the rain and dreaming of a sun-soaked beach, this will seem especially unfair.  Irish workers get five less holiday days than their European counterparts, according to the 2014 Expedia Vacation Deprivation Study, an annual study of holiday habits among 7,855 employed adults across 25 countries in Asia Pacific, Europe, North America and South America. The study revealed that Irish workers have an average of 22 days compared to the European average of 28 days and a global average of 25 days holidays per year. This is an increase of 5% from 21 days in 2012 and 2013. Despite almost half (46%) feeling ‘holiday deprived’, Irish workers do not take full advantage of their holidays, with almost 8% of holiday days left untaken, amounting to 3.3 million unused days of annual leave. In comparison, 30 days are offered to residents of Denmark, France, Germany, and Spain with residents of all four countries reporting having taken every day available to them. Still, we could have it worse. US workers get an average of 15 days and take 14, Canadian workers are entitled to an average of 16 days and take 15, while workers in Australia get an average of 20 days and take 15 days. Irish workers who don’t take their holiday days cite a lack of money (27%) as the main reason, with the second most popular reason being ‘work schedule does not allow’ (17%) and 16%  wanting to carry days over to the following year. 15% blame being self-employed for not taking holiday days. Financial difficulties are more of an issue for Irish people than their international counterparts, with an average of 14% of Europeans citing a lack of money as a reason for not taking holiday days and 17% globally. However the majority of Irish workers place importance on a work/life balance with over three quarters (77%) claiming they would take a pay cut to get extra holiday days, compared to 65% globally. A very surprising 12% would forgo a shower for a week in order to have one extra day’s holiday, compared to a global average of 9%. Irish workers are among the least likely in the world to cancel holiday plans due to work. Only 35% of Irish workers have cancelled holiday plans due to work, compared to global average of 50%. The days of the obligatory two-week holiday for Irish workers are gone with the vast majority (59%) expressing a preference to take several short breaks or long weekend trips, spread out over the course of the year. Less than a quarter of Irish workers (23%) take one long holiday. The French, Danes and Austrians also have a particular preference for short weekend breaks whereas Italy, Norway and Sweden have a much more even split between one long holiday and several short breaks. Andy Washington, Managing Director, Expedia UK and Ireland said: “The Vacation Deprivation study looks at holiday habits across several different continents. While habits differ, the emotional impact of holidays do not. Somewhere between 80 and 90 percent of people worldwide say that holidays make them feel happier, better rested, closer to their family, less stressed, and more relaxed. These are all emotions that correlate to a productive employee. So it’s almost paradoxical: spend more time away from work, and you might just be a better performing employee.”