Credits: Social Media
Americans get an outrageous amount of vacation days compared to the rest of the world
For many employees around the world, the daily slog of work is made bearable thanks to the knowledge that it isnt too long until the next batch of cherished vacation days but a recent viral video has brought attention to the pitiful amount of paid time off that is offered to Americans.
Viral video tackles US paid time off
TikToker Andrea Celeste (@anndrecelleste) recently raised the issue of the amount of paid time off American workers get in a recent viral video which has gone on to earn over 800,000 views in five days.
The video begins with two US-based employees talking via a video call, one of whom has recently returned from a two-day vacation where they worked during their time off so they wouldnt have to catch up when they officially returned to work.
Halfway through the video, the focus switches to a pair of British workers who discuss one of their recent two-week holidays before deciding to push back their work call until the morning as its close to finishing time, deciding to head to the pub instead.
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How many vacation days do Americans get?
The United States is one of a handful of countries in the world that has no legal requirement for private companies to offer employees any paid time off.
Its a little different for federal employees who have 11 paid vacation days per year.
On average, the amount of paid time off for workers across America ranges from 8.4 days per year in the south to 11.4 days per year in the northeastern states.
Compared with many countries around the world, that figure is minuscule. In the UK, it is a legal requirement to offer employees 20 days of paid time off and this is coupled with eight extra days off for public holidays.
In countries such as Australia, Ireland and Germany, employees are entitled to 20 days of paid time off as well as 10 extra vacation days for public holidays throughout the year.
North of the border in Canada, rules on paid leave vary by province, with the number of days off ranging between 10-20 per year. Coupled with between 7-13 days off for public holidays, this means employees typically get between 17-33 vacation days.
France is a country with very strict rules that favor employee rights which even limit the length of a working week to 39 hours, with any extra hours resulting in paid overtime. The number of paid vacation days varies slightly depending on the area of employment and how/when workers take their time off, with the figure ranging between 25-37 days. Combined with 11 days of public holidays, French employees get between 36-48 vacation days a year.
And finally, Iran is the country with the most days of paid time off in the world with 26 vacation days coupled with 27 public holidays. This results in a whopping 53 total days of paid time off, although this is partially due to the working week being six days in Iran, rather than five.
Social media reacts
After seeing Andrea Celestes video, many social media users have been left shocked by the difference in vacation days offered in America compared to the rest of the world.
One disheartened American commented: *Cries in American*.
While a second TikTok user added: I’m on vacation. I check my work email twice a day, so I don’t come back stressed =
A third said: Best two days ever, girl that’s a weekend =-=-=-
This shocked Swedish commenter wrote: *Jaw on the floor in Swedish*.
Yes two days vacation, began a fifth. Wonderful! That means you have 8 days left for the rest of the year!! =-
American here, definitely treat my PTO like the UK haha, said another, If Im off Im off, byeeee =K delete Gmail, delete Slack, I dont exist.
And finally, this viewer joked about the video using the Microsoft Teams call noise: How dare you make me hear the Teams noise outside of work! I genuinely sat up straight to answer the call.
