Vacation’s supposed to reset our spirits and make us better, productive workers for the rest of the year. Yet some countries still don’t provide enough paid vacation time for that recharge to happen: and perhaps unsurprisingly, the US is #2 on that list.
We know Americans work hard—probably too hard. It was thanks to labor activists in the 1800s that our 100-hour work week was wrestled down to 40 hours...and even that, some argue, is too much. Vacation, especially if you travel (even if that’s just checking into a hotel in a nearby city, or doing a staycation to save money), reminds you that work is only part of our lives: the rest is enjoying connections with family, friends and fellow travelers.
So, if the US is #2 on the list of countries providing the least amount of paid vacation, what’s the country that values vacation even less?
It’s Micronesia, as reported by CNBC. On this Oceanic collection of islands, workers only receive nine paid vacation days a year. In the US, the average is 10 (same for Nauru, a tiny Oceanic island country north of Australia, but somehow Nauru lands on #3 on this awful list!)
Next comes Palau with 12 days, and Kiribati with 13; both are also Oceanic countries. Oceania is the geographical region that includes Australia. Are we seeing a trend here? You trade lots of beach and beautiful climate for working hard?
With entry #6, the list stops berating Oceania. That spot belongs to Mexico, with 14 days per year. And here’s the rest of the list:
7. China with 16 paid vacation days
8. Lebanon with 17
9. Philippines with 17
10. Nigeria with 17
We’re not sure why the last three aren’t just considered a tie. At any rate, if you can negotiate for more vacation time when beginning a new job, you’ll actually be doing your employer a favor because you’ll be happier and more productive when you return.
Can you believe some people head to the airport without a destination in mind? Wow.
Could you pull off a spur-of-the-moment trip for the December holidays? We’ve got you covered.