It is no holiday for Canadians either

Having posted this here about the United States and the sad state of affairs when it come to paid vacation time , this article popped up .

Canadians give more waking hours to their employers than most workers in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, a new report by the Canadian Labour Congress found .

"We're very far from Europe in terms of our statutory annual leave and our paid public holidays,'' said congress executive vice-president Barbara Byers. "Our workers don't get the same kinds of time to be with their family, their friends . . . to get some rest and relaxation, to recharge their batteries so they can go back and give a hundred per cent to their employers.''

Currently, Canadian workers, on average, receive two weeks of paid vacation and 10 statutory holidays off after their first year of employment ( The exception is Saskatchewan, which has legislated that employees receive three weeks paid vacation after the first year, with 10 statutory holidays every year )

Austria, for example, gives workers a minimum of 30 days of paid vacation time and 13 paid public holidays every year.
Swedish workers gets five weeks paid vacation.
Australia and New Zealand workers get four weeks paid vacation after their first year. And shift workers in Australia get an additional week after the initial year of employment.

Hugh Günz, a professor at the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, says some people have difficulty taking time off work because of a North American work culture where people feel guilty and insecure.
"Everyone knows that a job today is not a job for life in the way they used to be and people feel much less secure.''