April
24,
2008
The Top 5 Things Affecting Your Vacation Days
By Sarah Z. Wexler
The average American worker gets 8.9 vacation days a year, barely enough time to attend two out-of-town summer weddings, a family reunion, and still fit in a few long weekends at the shore. Your job description likely plays the biggest part in deciding how many days you get paid to fly the coop. White-shoe professions typically score more days than blue-collar ones. For example, office managers get 12.9 days versus, say, the 7 awarded to construction workers. For those weighing the plusses and minuses of a career change—and taking vacation days into account—here are the factors that will determine how many days off you’ll earn. By Sarah Wexler
Company Size
company size, vacation, work
how big is your company
How big is your company?
Companies with 100 workers or more give an average of 9 annual paid vacation days. Smaller companies, comprised of under 99 employees, gave an average of just seven.
Where You Live
vacation, urban living, vacation days
do you live in a urban area
Do you work in an urban, rural, or suburban area?
Living la vida metropolitan? You’ll likely get about 9.1 paid days off each year to escape the pigeons, honking, and crime. If you live in a suburb or more remote locale, you’ll probably nab 7.9 days off.
Time at Company
Slideshow, Blog, 0508, vacation days
how long have you been at your company
It’s no big surprise that most companies expect you to earn your days away. But there’s a surprisingly huge disparity between one-year newbies (8.9 paid days off per year) and veterans—those who’ve put in 25 years or more at a company. (They get 19.1 paid days off.) Most workers see a steady climb of two additional days for each year they’re at the company until the ten year mark. At that point, firms typically spring for just a single day for every five more years of service.
Workers Union
vacation, work, workers union, vacation days
are you in a union
Are you in a union?
If you’re one of the 15.7 million Americans who belong to a union, you’ll likely score fewer vacation days on average than your non-union counterparts—8.6 days, versus their 9 days.
Where You Live
USA Map, best cities for work
what part of the country do you live in
What area of the country do you live in?
The average American typically scores 8 days off per year of vacation days. But if you work in New England or the Mid-Atlantic, rejoice: you get an average of nine paid days off to eat lobster rolls or cheer on the Red Sox, more than any region in the country.
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