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‘Koreans are most vacation-deprived people on Earth’

November 18, 2014
South Korean workers take the least vacation days of 24 countries according to a 2014 study by Expedia.(Korea Times)

South Korean workers take the least vacation days of 24 countries according to a 2014 study by Expedia. (Korea Times)

South Korea ranks last among 24 nations when it comes to the average number of vacation days taken by workers, according to a 2014 survey by travel site Expedia.

An average Korean gets 8.6 days off each year, while the rest of the world gets an average of 20 days of vacation, The Expedia Vacation Deprivation Findings by Country stated.

Some 60 percent of workers here don’t even use the days that they are given, it found.

The findings were based on a survey of 8,000 employed adults from 24 countries. Denmark, France, Germany and Spain topped the list for the highest number of vacation days, with 27 days each.

The survey also indicated that up to 51 percent of Koreans who were asked, “What is you reason for not planning a vacation in advance?” answered, “It depends on work.”

Reasons for not using all vacation days included “My work is my life and it’s hard to get away,” and “It is difficult to coordinate time to take a vacation that works for me and my family’s schedule.”

Just above Korea on the list, but still categorized as “vacation-deprived,” were the United States, Canada, Mexico, Singapore and Japan.