For businesses who operate in multiple countries, annual leave can be complex to navigate. It can differ from country to country and in some cases, different regions within a country have different rules. In some countries, annual leave entitlements vary dependent on length of service and in some, employees with children get more annual leave than those without. In no particular order, here are the top 10 Countries for annual leave entitlements.
1. France
Employees in France receive 2.5 days of paid holiday for every month they work. This equates to 30 days a year. There are some limitations to when employees can take their holiday as days taken at once cannot exceed 24 working days and employees must take 12 or more working days at once as their main holiday. There is a total of 11 public holidays in France unless you live in the Alsace region or the Moselle department that has an additional 2 days.
2. Panama
In Panama, employees are entitled to 30 days of paid holiday after their first year in employment. Alongside this, there are 10 public holidays each year in Panama.
3. Brazil
Once they’ve been in a role for over 12 months, employees in Brazil are entitled to 30 days of paid holiday per year and alongside this, there are 13 public holidays each year in Brazil though some regions may observe more. There are rules and regulations as to when holidays can be taken however as employees in Brazil must take all of their annual leave in a 12-month period, though they can cash in up to 10 of their leave days to receive a holiday bonus. They can take their leave on 3 different occasions, one of which must last for at least 14 days. Employees cannot take leave within 2 days of a weekend or a holiday.
4. UK
Employees in the United Kingdom are entitled to 28 days annual leave each year. In England, Scotland and Wales, there are 8 public holidays each year and 10 in Northern Ireland. Employers can include public holidays as part of annual leave entitlements however many businesses treat public holidays and statutory leave as separate leave entitlements.
5. Sweden
Once employees have worked for a company for a year or more, they’re entitled to 25 days of paid annual leave in Sweden, and they’re allowed to hold on to each day for up to five years once they have accrued it. In Sweden, there are 9 public holidays each year.
6. Russia
In Russia, workers are entitled to 28 days of paid holiday each year. In addition to this, there are 14 public holidays each year in Russia.
7. Norway
In Norway, their annual leave process is slightly different to most. There is no paid leave in Norway however, Norwegians get holiday pay for at least 25 days a year. That might sound a little confusing, but it essentially means employees accumulate holiday pay the year before they take their leave and then the leave is usually paid on the payday immediately before they’re due to take their holiday. This arrangement means that new employees cannot take paid holiday leave. Employers must set aside 10.20% of their employees’ salaries for holiday pay. This is raised to 12.50% for employees aged 60 or over. There are 10 public holidays each year in Norway.
8. Austria
In Austria, once employees have worked in a role for 6 months, they are entitled to 25 days of paid annual leave each year and after having worked for the same employer for 25 years, this rises to 30 days each year. Alongside this, there are 13 public holidays each year for Austrians.
9. Denmark
In Denmark, employees get a total of 25 days leave each year, which they accrue at a rate of 2.08 days a month. In terms of paid leave, they operate on a system called “concurrent holiday”. This basically means that employees accrue leave days each month, but they are allowed to take holidays even while they earn their days. So, by agreement, employees can take leave days before they accrue them. There are 11 public holidays in Denmark each year.
10. Finland
In Finland, annual leave entitlement is based on length of service. Employees accrue two days of holiday a month for their first year which rises to 2.5 days a month if they’ve been in a role for more than a year. Employees who have worked in their role for 15 years or more accrue 3 days of annual leave each month. Each year in Finland, there are 11 public holidays.
With all these complexities, it can be hard for businesses that operate in multiple countries to keep on top of their annual leave allowances for the different countries they operate within. Edays helps global companies navigate these complexities allowing employees, managers and teams to focus on what they do best.
Navigate complex leave rules and working patterns for 50+ countries around the world.
Harry is Head of Customer Success here at edays, helping organisations to get the very best out of their edays system. His experience in SaaS and HR brings valuable insight into how organisations can better manage their people, processes and productivity.