10 Countries with Generous Annual Leave

Annual leave is the most common - and most popular - form of paid leave around the world. Also known as statutory or holiday leave, it is the number of paid days or weeks employees can take off work to relax and recharge. Annual leave is given in addition to local public and bank holidays.

Remote employees are just as much in need of holidays as office-based workers. The boundaries between work and private life can easily become blurred. Remote employees often find themselves working longer hours, moving less, and not socialising as much. All of this can have adverse effects on their mental and physical health. Fortunately, a refreshing holiday can do wonders at reversing all of those negative side-effects. 

Employing your remote employees in accordance with local employment laws means giving them the paid time-off they are entitled to in their country of residence. By employing each remote employee compliantly, you can keep up your team members’ morale and engagement. Here we have selected 10 countries that offer some of the most generous annual leave.

1. Bahrain

In Bahrain, all employees, regardless of classification, are entitled to at least 30 days of paid leave per year. Length of employment is not relevant, however, employees who ask for leave during their probationary period will only obtain leave after the successful completion of this period. Annual leave regulations fall under a new law ratified in 2012 that is part of a wider movement to improve workers’ lives in the country.

2. Brazil

In Brazil, all employees are entitled to 30 days of paid annual leave after 12 months of continuous work. However, there are several restrictions as to how these 30 days can be used. This means that in practice the annual leave days a regular Brazilian employee can take are closer to 20 rather than 30.

3. United Arab Emirates

Similar to Brazil, all employees in the UAE who have completed 12 months of service are entitled to 30 days of paid annual leave.

4. Tanzania

Employees who have worked for 6 consecutive months are entitled to at least 28 days of annual leave per year. However, any public holidays that fall within the period when an employee is on leave are included as annual leave.

5. France

In France, an employee who has been working for 1 month is entitled to a minimum of 5 weeks (25 working days) of paid annual leave. The amount of paid time-off can increase at the employer’s discretion, though it cannot exceed the maximum threshold of 30 days. Unused vacation days cannot be carried over to the following year.

6. Denmark

Since 1 September 2020, all employees in Denmark are entitled to 5 weeks of paid annual leave regardless of their classification.

7. Austria

Five  weeks for all employees, whether they are working part-time or full-time. Employees are entitled to full holiday leave after 7 months of work. After 25 years of work - though not necessarily with the same employer - employees are entitled to 6 weeks paid leave per year.

8. New Zealand

Four  weeks of annual leave are granted to all employees regardless of classification (full-time, part-time etc.). Legally, this entitlement only kicks in after 12 months of continuous work. However, in practice, it is now common  to give people 4 weeks of paid leave within the first 12 months of work.

9. Germany 

German law grants 20 paid days off to all employees based on a 5-day work week and 24 days off for all employees based on a 6-day work week. More annual leave days can be added. In practice, the annual leave is between 25 and 30 days off, as most collective agreements stipulate this as a minimum amount.

10. UK

All employees are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave, although this is calculated differently depending on the number of days worked per week. Full-time employees are entitled to 28 days of paid annual leave per year. This is the maximum amount of paid annual leave. Other employees can calculate their annual leave entitlement with the following equation: number of days worked per week x 5.6 = paid annual leave. To better understand their paid annual leave, consider contacting an employer of record in the UK.