We interrupt your summer vacation plans with the depressing news that you could have a lot more time off if you lived and worked in a different country. Sorry to be a downer, but GetVoiP recently released a list of 40 countries that have the most and fewest vacation days — and the U.S. didn't fare too well.
To create the list, GetVoiP, a cloud computing advisor, used data from the Organization for Economic Co‑operation and Development (OECD), Center for Economic and Policy Research, and International Labor Organizations, and examined the labor laws of countries around the world. Brazil came out on top, with 30 paid leave days and 11 public holidays, giving its citizens 41 vacation days a year. That's more than two months off!
But the biggest question those of us currently planning summer getaways are asking is: Where does the U.S. fall on the list? The data finds that the average American receives 16 paid leave days and 10 holidays, which totals 26 vacation days. However, researchers argued that this could be a high estimate, as not all those paid leave days or holidays are required by U.S. law. Boo! Even with 26 days off, the U.S. still came in at number 34 out of 40 on the list.
Before you get too angry at our nation’s unfortunate lack of vacation days, take a moment to be grateful you aren’t living in Mexico. Number 40 on the list, Mexico offers the fewest days off: 14 (six paid-leave days and eight public holidays). What a sorry number. Though, the study does mention that the number of paid-leave days could increase by tenure.
So if you're glad you have more days off than you would in Mexico, but you're still thinking of relocating to up your vacay time, you might want to consider moving to Brazil, France, Malta, Iceland, or Austria. Time to switch gears from vacation plans to moving plans. Malta, here we come!