Most Canadians are still vacation-deprived, but at least they're taking more of their earned days off than they did five years ago, according to an annual survey conducted by Ipsos-Reid for Expedia.ca. Fewer are giving back days to their employers this year compared with 2003, but are still leaving an average of two vacation days untaken. This, Ipsos-Reid says, means that about $5.4-million in wages is being handed back to employers.
More than 65 per cent of employed Canadians feel more, or just as, vacation-deprived as they did five years ago, according to the survey. British Columbians (25 per cent) and Albertans (24 per cent) are the most vacation-deprived, with one-quarter giving days back to employers in 2007. Quebeckers are less work-obsessed, with just 15 per cent of those surveyed saying they leave vacation days untaken.
Canadians aged 18 to 34 are the most vacation-deprived, and, on the whole, 34 per cent of employed Canadians still work more than 40 hours a week. Canadians take an average 18 days of vacation compared with 36 taken by the French, 30 by the Spanish and 26 by the Germans, according to the survey.
