Canada second last on vacation days granted

TORONTO—Canada is near the bottom of global rankings of paid holiday days off, trailing countries such as Malaysia and Columbia, according to a study by discount vacation broker Hotels.com.

The study looked at the amount of paid and public holiday time around the world, and reveals that with a mere 15 days Canada is next last, beating only Mexico, which offers 13 days off.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Russia came out on top with a staggering average of 40 days of paid leave.

“There is a substantial level of inconsistency around the world when it comes to the amount of statutory holiday or vacation time for employees, particularly when you compare Russia to Mexico or Canada” said Taylor L. Cole , APR, travel expert for Hotels.com.

Of the 30 nations surveyed, Hotels.com found the average annual leave and public entitlement for employees is 28 days. The UK is right on target, but Canada falls 13 days short. Twelve other countries come in under the global average, including the U.S., Netherlands, India and all the Asian countries featured including China, Singapore, Thailand and Japan.

Italy, Sweden, Finland and France joined Russia to make up the top five countries with the most paid leave— all with 35 days or more.

Brazil, Canada and India have the lowest number of national public holidays with only five days each.

Here’s the list:

Source: Hotels.com

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story garnered much response from readers, mainly calling it erroneous and inaccurate. Most linked us to this website outlining Canadian Statutory Holidays.

However, that list outlines the many provincial holidays, not the national statutory holidays. The list we want resides here. At first blush, it looks like there are 10 recognized national public holidays.

Included on the list are Boxing Day, Remembrance Day, Easter Monday, and Thanksgiving Day—days which many Canadians are expected to work.

Please feel free to email us with any further comments.