By being entitled to 24 days’ statutory minimum leave and 14 public holidays, Maltese employees are third luckiest in a list of 41 major countries.
A study into worldwide comparisons of employee statutory and public holiday entitlements by global consulting firm Mercer has found that employees in Europe receive the most generous statutory holiday allowances in the world.
When public holidays are added to the account, employees in Lithuania and Brazil are entitled to most time off than other countries with a total of 41 days. Finland, France, and Russia give staff a total of 40 days off. Malta and Austria tie in third place with a total of 38.
Employees in the UK get a total 36 days off, in Cyprus 35, in Italy 31, in the US and Singapore 25, in China 21, and in Canada 19.
The information stemmed from Mercer’s 2009 Worldwide Benefit and Employment Guidelines, which provides data into global working practices and regulations. The report analyses both the statutory minimum number of holidays that companies must provide to staff and the number of public holidays in over 40 countries. The comparison was based on legal entitlements for an employee working five days a week, with 10 years’ service.
Matthew Hunt, a principal in Mercer’s international team who advises multinationals on their employment practices, said there were wide variations in the local implementation of employment practices governing public holidays.
“Employers are often within their rights to ask employees to work on public holidays, or require that they be taken as part of their annual leave entitlements,” he explained.
“For example, while it appears that employees in the UK have more total holidays than those in Malta, company contracts can create a different picture. While the UK statutory minimum is 28 days, companies are allowed to include the eight public holidays as part of this entitlement, so some employees may only be given 20 days’ holiday a year and Maltese employees may, in fact, have a better deal.”
In terms of paid leave, Asia-Pacific countries lag behind Australia, New Zealand and Japan where workers are entitled 20 days’ leave, the highest number of statutory holidays, followed by Taiwan (15), Hong Kong and Singapore (14), India (12) and China (10).
Employees in Canada get just 10 days off according to law while American workers are typically granted around 15 days a year, although there is no legal minimum.
The report pointed out that national holidays made a considerable contribution to employees’ annual total leave entitlement. Japan and India celebrate the most public holidays a year – 16 – and Cyprus, Slovakia and South Korea 15. Spain takes a national holiday 14 times a year, like Malta.
“Employers trying to co-ordinate business operations across the world are caught in a maze of legislation when it comes to holidays,” Mr Hunt pointed out.
“Public holidays tend to be rooted in local tradition or religious beliefs, so it can be difficult to change practices. But with the increasing cultural diversity of the global workforce, there is pressure for greater flexibility around public holidays.”