Israel near top for vacation days - survey: Israeli workers enjoy 40 vacation days a year. Only Finland ranks higher

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News

BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL NEWS

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Ran Dagoni, Globes, Tel Aviv, Israel

Sep. 3--Israel ranks among the world's leading countries for paid vacation entitlement for employees, reveals a global survey conducted by consulting firm Mercer Human Resource Consulting.

According to the survey, employees in Israel, France, and Lithuania get a total of 40 days paid vacation a year. Finland tops the tables with 44 days paid vacation a year, while employees in the United Arab Emirates get 39 vacation days a year. At the other end of the table is Vietnam, where employees are entitled to a total of 22 paid vacation days a year, and Canada, with 20 days vacation entitlement a year.

The survey divides vacation into two categories, the minimum number of paid vacation days, and paid public holidays, either religious or national.

In Israel, employers are required to give employees with ten years' tenure and upward 24 paid vacation days (not including paid public holidays). Other countries providing a similar vacation entitlement to that of Israel are Germany, Austria, Denmark, Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg, Malta, and Sweden.

Employees in Finland, France, and the United Arab Emirates are entitled to 30 paid vacation days. In Estonia and Lithuania the entitlement is 28 days, and in Poland it is 26 days. At the other end of the list is India with 12 days vacation entitlement and Canada with 10 days.

For the Israeli employee, the holidays are the factor that boosts his vacation entitlement. Employees in Israel are entitled to around 15 paid public holidays a year, similar to the entitlement in Egypt and Slovenia. Employees in India are entitled to 19 paid public holidays a year, and in Lebanon and Morocco 18 days.

Mercer notes in its survey that the paid public holiday entitlement in Israel also includes the days immediately before the festivals or holidays, for which some companies add a regular vacation day. Not all employees in Israel get this bonus day off, and the report stresses that the figure for paid holidays in Israel is an average.

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