US Workers Are Taking the Most Vacation Days in 7 Years
Workers in the US are using the most vacation days since 2010, new research from Project: Time Off shows.
The average worker in America took 17.2 days of vacation in 2017, 0.4 days more that those used the previous year. Of the days used in 2017, Americans used a paltry eight days for trips away from home. And the increased 2017 numbers still pale in comparison to the average of 20.3 vacation days Americans used to take annually from 1978 to 2000.
The US labor force has no mandate on vacation days, unlike many other countries around the world. Workers in France and Denmark, for example, legally get 36 days of paid vacation per year. Similarly, employees in Sweden get 34 government-sanctioned paid days off, and those in the UK get 28.
Although vacation day usage is slightly up by US standards, the bulk of American employees are still not using up all of their allotted paid time off. The survey showed that some workers felt vacations would make them appear less dedicated, while others thought their workloads were too heavy to leave behind or that no one could fill in for them if they went away for some R&R.
In fact, 24% of workers said they hadn't taken any vacation days at all last year, and 52% said they left some days go unused.
But, Americans are missing out on more than just a chance to recharge their batteries when they forgo their vacation days. According to Project: Time Off's calculations, American's expired vacation days added up to $255 billion in missed economic opportunity and could have created $1.9 million jobs.
The survey was conducted by GfK online between January 4-23, 2018, and 4,349 Americans who were 18+ participated. Participants must have worked more than 35 hours per week and receive paid time off from their employer to count. The data was weighted and scaled. Additional economy analysis was provided by Oxford Economics.
H/T: CNBC
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| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month