A while ago you compared tax rates in the U.S. to those in other developed countries [December 1]. How about doing the same for vacation time? I’ve heard the Germans get so many days off they only have to work four days a week, and I don’t get the impression the French are overexerting themselves either. What’s the straight dope?
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You’ve heard about the German work ethic? Hah. According to Sam of the Straight Dope Science Advisory Board, who works at a consulting firm that specializes in employee compensation, required vacation time in Germany and other developed countries is much greater than in the U.S. He cautions that just because Americans seem to be working longer doesn’t mean they’re working harder, etc. But the deal workers in other countries get still sounds pretty plush.
It’s in the category of “required vacation at full pay” that we see a big difference. Outside the U.S., mandatory vacation time ranges from 10 days in Canada and Japan to 20 days in the Netherlands and the UK, 24 days in Germany, 25 in Sweden and France, and 35 days for managers in Italy. The required vacation in the U.S.? None.
Blood donation. In Brazil employees must be given one day off with pay to donate blood.
