Paid Vacations and Holidays in several Countries

Nation	Statutory Minimum Annual Leave	Paid Holidays

Austria	30 *	13
Belgium	20	10
Denmark	30	9
Finland	24 *	9
France	30	1
Germany	24 *	10
Greece	20 *	6
Ireland	20	9
Italy	20	13
Netherlands	20	0
Norway	25	2
Portugal	22 *	13
Spain	30	12
Sweden	25	0
Switzerland	20 *	0
United Kingdom	20	0

* Austria: 36 days after 6 years; Finland: 30 days after 1 year; Germany: up to 30 days for young workers; Greece: an additional day after 2nd and 3rd years; Portugal: 20 days in 1st year; Switzerland: 25 days for young workers

Nation	Statutory Minimum Annual Leave	Paid Holidays

Australia	20 *	7
Canada	10 *	8
Japan	10 *	0
New Zealand	20	7
United States	0	0

* Australia: 25 days for shift workers; Canada: 15 days with seniority; Japan: an additional day for each of the first ten years

	percent share of workers		average number of days
	whose employer provides:		all workers with benefit		all workers

	paid	paid	paid	paid	paid	paid
	vacation	holidays	vacation	holidays	vacation	holidays

all workers	77%	76%	12	8	9	6

full-time	90%	88%	13	8	12	7
part-time	36%	37%	9	6	3	2


hourly wage

less than $15 per hour	69%	67%	10	7	7	5
$15 per hour +	88%	88%	14	9	13	8

establishment size

1-99 workers	70%	68%	11	8	8	5
100+ workers	86%	86%	14	9	12	8

Analysis of B.L.S. analysis of National Compensation survey in 2006 by Rebecca Ray and John Schmitt, Tables 19, 20,. and 21. Average number of paid vacation days calculated as a weighted average of number of paid vacation days by minimum length of service using Ray's and Schmitt's calculation of private sector job tenure from the CEPR extract of the Current Population survey Job Tenure Supplement for January 2006.

SOURCE OF INFORMATION IN ALL TABLES: No-Vacation Nation by Rebecca Ray and John Schmitt, a report issued in May 2007 by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, 1611 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., suite 400, Washington, D.C. 20009.