Younger kiwis are Highly Holiday Deprived

‘Gen Stress’: global survey reveals younger New Zealanders are holiday deprived

• New Zealanders are the fourth-most holiday-deprived nation on earth, behind only Japan, USA and Australia


• Younger Kiwis shy away from taking holidays due to career fears

Auckland, 22 June 2010 – Younger working New Zealanders have been revealed to be more holiday deprived and fearful of taking all their annual leave than their older compatriots, according to the latest annual global Vacation Deprivation® survey from Expedia®, the world’s largest online travel company.

While working New Zealanders receive an average of 19.5 annual leave days per year, they land up taking only 17 of their entitled leave days. As a result, this makes New Zealand the fourth-most holiday-deprived nation in the world among the thirteen countries surveyed, behind only Japan, the USA and Australia.

Younger New Zealanders (i.e. those aged between 18 and 34) are twice as likely not to take all their annual leave as they feel that if they take time off to go on holiday they will miss an important decision at work. A further twelve per cent of 18-34 year olds fear that taking all of their holidays will be perceived negatively by their bosses and will jeopardise their job security.

Far from the independent and free-spirited attitude of their parents, who may have taken weeks, and sometimes months off to travel abroad in their earlier working lives, younger New Zealanders appear to be feeling the burden of their working careers and the constant need to impress and prove themselves in the workplace far earlier in life. In ominous signs that Gen Xs and Ys are earning the reputation for being the ‘stressed generation’, just over one in ten (11%) of 18-34 year-olds said that their bosses are not supportive of them taking their annual leave. They’re also almost twice as likely as older New Zealanders to save up their holidays in order to cash in their untaken leave (17% versus 9% overall average).

Japan is the most holiday-deprived nation for the second year in a row, receiving on average 16.5 days annual leave. However, 94 per cent of Japanese workers do not take all their leave, taking on average only 9 of their entitled annual leave days.

For the fourth consecutive year, France ranks as the world’s most holiday-rich nation, with the average worker receiving 37.5 annual leave days per year (and taking on average 34.5 of those days). And despite the luxury of having more annual leave than any other nation, less than a quarter of French workers do not take all their leave entitlements.

Louise Crompton, Marketing Manager for Expedia.co.nz, encourages younger New Zealanders to maintain a healthy work-life balance. “Scientific and medical research all point to the mental and physical health benefits of taking holidays. Taking holidays is an important component of working life and we should all take time out from our work so we do not burn out.

“With the internet, it’s never been easier to book a holiday. As the world’s largest online travel company, Expedia offers an easy-to-use one-stop shop that provides more choice and value for money for time-poor New Zealanders to research and book their perfect holiday break,” Ms Crompton said.

Most holiday-deprived nations

Rank Nation Annual leave days taken
1 Japan 9
2 United States 14
3 Australia 16.5
4 New Zealand 17
5 Canada 18

Most holiday rich nations

Rank Nation Annual leave days taken
1 France 34.5
2 Spain 28.5
3 Denmark 26.5
4 Italy 26.5
5 Norway 26

ENDS

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