Where Vacation Days Are Over & Underused

While nations in Asia have in the past seen reports about their workaholic ways and failure to take off days from work, a 2023 release by Expedia paints a different picture of how employees in Japan and Hong Kong handle their vacation time. According to the survey carried out in early 2023, Japanese and Hongkongese have actually requested four extra days off work on average beyond the time allotted to them in 2022. This gave them a longer average real vacation time last year than workers in Germany and France. People in these countries had more days available to them, but failed to take them all.

Some countries such as the United States rank towards the bottom of the list when it comes to the average number of vacation days allotted (and at its very bottom when looking at statutory leave with 0 days guaranteed). Despite this, the average American worker still leaves vacation days on the table, albeit just few at an average of 1.5. A more workaholic nation in Asia is Singapore, with 17 days allotted on average and an average of 2.5 unused days. Germany and French people have more unused days on average at four and 5.5, respectively. In these two countries, average vacation days allotted per year are also more numerous, however, at 28.5 each. Guaranteed by law are 20 days in Germany and 25 in France. In the U.S., Germany and France, between 10 and 14 public holidays are added to the vacation day tally as well. In Japan, this number is even higher at 16 days.