There is huge variety in the total number of days leave offered across the EU according to new research published today.
The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) has shown there is marked discrepancy between different regions of the European bloc, with some countries having almost three-and-a-half weeks in additional leave than others.
Employees in Sweden, for example, can enjoy 42 days a year off work on average, through annual leave and public holidays, while in Estonia the total is just 26 days.
Among the main trends was the low amount of leave in some of the newer member states.
In Estonia employees can expect just 26 days off.
In addition the research showed there were similar differences in the length of the working week and annual hours worked vary greatly from one country to another.
In another new member state, Latvia, full-time employees do a 42.1 hours week on average – compared to just 37.6 hours in France.
The longest annual working hours in the EU are in Estonia, Latvia, Hungary, Poland and Romania.
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