About this episode
Do you work more for more money? Or work less for more time? For some, this is the ultimate economic choice. <br/><br/>Every single worker in the European Union is guaranteed four weeks of paid vacation. No matter how long they’ve been at a company. No matter how low paying the job is. Vacation is a right. <br/><br/>In fact, all but one of the richest countries in the world guarantees paid vacation, except: the U.S. <br/><br/>According to a <a href="https://cepr.net/images/stories/reports/no-vacation-nation-2019-05.pdf"target="_blank" >2019 study</a>, people in Japan get 10 paid vacation days and 15 paid holidays; in Australia it’s 20 paid vacation days and 8 paid holidays; and in Spain it’s 25 paid vacation days and 14 paid holidays. <br/><br/>And it’s not just a rich country thing: Mexico, Afghanistan, Thailand, Tanzania - they all guarantee paid vacation from work, at least in the formal job sector. <br/><br/>In the U.S: Zero paid vacation days and zero paid holidays. <br/><br/>So, why is the United States the outlier? We go to several labor economists and historians, to find out what makes Americans different from Europeans. It’s a winding journey, so maybe put in a request for some paid time off and take a listen!<br/><br/><em>Note: This episode originally ran in </em><a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/08/17/1194467863/europe-vacation-holiday-paid-time-off"target="_blank" ><em>2023</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/>Some articles we mention in this episode:<br/><br/>“<a href="https://cepr.net/images/stories/reports/no-vacation-nation-2019-05.pdf"target="_blank" >No Vacation Nation</a>”<br>“<a href="https://www.ustravel.org/press/study-record-768-million-us-vacation-days-went-unused-18-opportunity-cost-billions"target="_blank" >Study: A Record 768 Million U.S. Vacation Days Went Unused in ‘18, Opportunity Cost in the Billions</a>”<br>“<a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/12/24/21035628/new-york-paid-time-off"target="_blank" >Why the US is one of only a few countries with no paid time off</a>”<br/><br/><em>This episode was hosted by Sarah Gonzalez, produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler, edited by Jess Jiang, engineered by Maggie Luthar, and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer. </em><br/><br/><a href="https://www.planetmoneybook.com/"target="_blank" ><em>Book info.</em></a><em> / </em><a href="https://n.pr/3HlREPz"target="_blank" ><em>Subscribe to Planet Money+</em></a><br/><br/><em>Listen free: </em><a href="http://n.pr/PM-digital"target="_blank" ><em>Apple Podcasts</em></a><em>, </em><a href="https://n.pr/3gTkQlR"target="_blank" ><em>Spotify</em></a><em>, </em><a href="https://n.pr/3iMBXqz"target="_blank" ><em>Google Podcasts</em></a><em>, </em><a href="https://n.pr/3Bkb17W"target="_blank" ><em>NPR One</em></a><em> or anywhere you get podcasts.</em><br/><br/><em>Find more Planet Money: </em><a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" ><em>Facebook</em></a><em> / </em><a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" ><em>Instagram</em></a><em> / </em><a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" ><em>TikTok</em></a><em> / Our weekly </em><a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" ><em>Newsletter</em></a><em>.</em><br/><br/>See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<br/><br/><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>