Canadians Get Fewer Vacation Days Than Almost Any Country & We Are Officially Workaholics

In Canada, you're a workaholic whether you like it or not. A recent study found Canadians get fewer vacation days guaranteed than almost any other country. Now we're in January, you might be looking towards taking time off in 2020. Book away guilt-free, knowing you'll still probably work more days than Spain.

Canadian workers receive 19 days for holiday leave in total, with nine being paid. That's a far cry from places like Spain or Austria, with 39 and 38 total, respectively. Even workaholic Japan ensures workers 25 days of leave.

It gets worse when you realize the study doesn't account for part-time, low-wage, or small business employees, who typically receive less or even no vacation days, according to PressProgress.

The only country that trumps Canada is our neighbour to the south, the USA, whose laws don't guarantee workers any days of leave at all.

Even with our dwindling holidays, a 2014 report found that less than half of Canadians take all their paid leave, and 40% don't mind working on holidays, reads Macleans.

Not only do we not know how to take time off, but we're also hardworking. According to Mitrefinch, Canadian workers average between 1.5 to 2 overtime hours per worker.

Alberta takes the lead, averaging at 2.2 hours per worker. However, it appears the trend is decreasing, with people working fewer hours overall except for Quebecers.

Despite the extra cash, this is bad news; counter to what you'd expect, more effort put in at work leads to decreased performance.

According to Insider, working harder predicts worse well being and career success. They find that the efficiency of work drops over long work sessions. So in the end, is it really worth it?

If you need any more reason to ask for more vacation time, look to Japan, whose Microsoft division found a 40% jump in productivity after testing a four-day workweek. With the success of that schedule exploding, other countries are following suit.

You can make it your New Year's resolution to treat yourself to a trip in 2020.

There are stories everywhere. If you spot a newsworthy event in your city, send us a message, photo, or video @NarcityCanada on Twitter and Instagram.