How much holiday leave do Aussies get compared to the rest of the world?

Here’s a common story: As you dream of your next holiday, you check your annual leave balance and realise you used it all up over Christmas. 

employsure

Here’s a common story: As you dream of your next holiday, you check your annual leave balance and realise you used it all up over Christmas. You end up thinking you just don’t get enough days off from work.

Here’s a common story: As you dream of your next holiday, you check your annual leave balance and realise you used it all up over Christmas. You end up thinking you just don’t get enough days off from work.

According to James Houghton, senior employment relations adviser at Employsure, “Most permanent full-time employees across Australia get at least four weeks of annual leave plus public holidays.”

It sounds fair. But, on the world scale of holiday leave, there are far more generous holiday benefits around the world.

So who fares best?According to global measures, workers in Iran have little to complain about with the greatest number of statutory holiday entitlements and public holidays: one month of annual leave plus 27 public holidays – a total minimum of 53 days. Bahrain and Kuwait enjoy approximately 40 days. Workers in France enjoy a minimum of 36 days and those working in Cyprus, Russia, Romania, and Sweden all receive an approximate minimum of 34 days.

How many days are we Aussies entitled to?“Annual leave and public holiday leave are part of the National Employment Standards and an essential part of working life. In addition to the full-time workers’ entitlement of four weeks annual leave, we receive eight national holidays – plus additional days declared by states or territories,” Mr Houghton says.

With approximately 29 days total, that puts us at the 73rd spot.

Short Video Explainer: Calculating Public Holiday Entitlements

Not so lucky“Most developed nations have seen the introduction of statutory agreements for minimum employee leave from work – that is the amount of entitlement to annual leave and public holidays,” he says.

However, people working in the United States fare worse than employees in every other developed economy in the world.

“US employers are not required to pass on a single day of paid leave to their employees; not even Christmas Day,” he says. “And it’s because federal law does not compel them to pay for time not worked.”

Annual leave hacksThanks to the schedule of 2019 public holidays, Mr Houghton says this year will be the year

Australians “get smarter at using their annual leave, thanks to the number of public holidays that fall close together between Easter and Anzac Day.”

Since Good Friday is on April 19 this year, there are only four business days between Easter and the Anzac Day public holiday, meaning a potential 10-day break with only three days of annual leave having to be used. Turning minimal annual leave into substantial holiday time is a great way to rest.

“It’s a good time to take advantage of the public holidays and bolt-on annual leave to maximise your time away from work – but you’ll need to talk with your employer and book in,” he says.

While many workers rush to nab the time off, Mr Houghton says employers are well within their rights to ask employees to follow a process of applying for annual leave, with plenty notice – as “rosters may need rearrangement”.

“Always refer to the annual leave policy in your business, because it might be based on a first come, first serve basis,” he says.

So, if you don’t think you get enough holiday leave, it might be time to consider moving overseas.

Click to see the full list: Holiday Leave Around the World.

* Figures are approximate only. While the Information contained in this article have been presented with all due care, neither the Author nor the Publisher warrant or represent that the Information is free from errors or omission

Originally published as How much holiday leave do Aussies get compared to the rest of the world?