The first legislation in Sweden regarding vacation entitlement was enacted in 1938. Under this law, all employees were entitled to two weeks of vacation. Vacation duration was increased to three weeks in 1951 and four weeks in 1963. The current law dates from 1977 (1977:480) and took effect in 1978. At that time, vacation entitlement was extended to five weeks.The Vacation Act governs the annual leave, annual leave pay, and annual leave compensation. Any agreement that provides the employee with benefits less favorable than those stipulated by law is invalid. A vacation year runs from April 1 to March 31 of the following year. The corresponding period in the preceding year is referred to as the accrual year. By law, vacation pay amounts to 12 percent of the employee’s salary during the accrual year.Employees who are entitled to more than 20 days of annual leave may carry over any unused days for up to five years and then take them as a single block of time off. If operational circumstances permit, the law allows them to accumulate ten weeks of leave once every six years. Saturdays and Sundays are not normally counted as vacation days. An employee is entitled to take a certain number of vacation days during the vacation year with vacation pay proportional to the length of time the employee has worked for the employer during the accrual year. An employer may offer better vacation terms in an employment contract than the minimum requirements set forth in the Vacation Act or collective bargaining agreements. It is relatively common today for employees to have 6 weeks or more, depending on their employment contract or collective bargaining agreement, plus paid public holidays. In Sweden, we have 9 paid public holidays (that do not fall on a Sunday).The vacation year is the 12-month period during which vacation leave must be taken and vacation pay is paid out. The accrual year is the year in which paid vacation days and vacation pay are accrued. The number of paid vacation days an employee is entitled to is calculated based on the accrual year, which is the preceding vacation year. A common method of calculation under white-collar agreements in the private sector is that the employee retains their regular monthly salary and receives a vacation bonus for each paid vacation day.In Sweden, it is common to take 3–4 consecutive weeks off in the summer, usually in June, July, or August. The most popular month is July, when the vast majority of Swedes take their vacation. Saturdays and Sundays are not normally counted as vacation days.
The statutory vacation entitlement we have in Sweden is not a given in every country. In Japan, for example, employees are only entitled to 10 days of paid vacation per year. In the United States, there is no statutory right to vacation at all; vacation entitlements are instead regulated through employment contracts. The average American in the private sector has 10 days of paid vacation and 6 paid public holidays.The European countries that guarantee employees the longest consecutive vacation periods are Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands. In Sweden and Finland, employees are entitled to four weeks of consecutive vacation. In some other countries, there is no assurance of consecutive vacation days.
Number of statutory vacation days in several countries
•Germany – 30 days•France – 30 days•Denmark – 30 days•Italy – 28 days•Sweden – 25 days•Finland – 25 days•The Netherlands – 25 days•Norway – 25 days•Austria – 25 days•Great Britain – 24,7 days•Spain – 25 days•Ireland – 24 days•Greece – 23 days•Portugal – 22 days•Belgium – 20 days•Switzerland – 20 days•Australia– 20 days•Japan – 10 days•Canada – 10 days•USA – 0 daysThe countries listed above and the number of vacation days in those countries represent the statutory vacation entitlement. Employees in these nations, however, may be entitled to additional vacation days as a result of employment contracts and collective bargaining agreements, in addition to paid public holidays.
Source References
•Wikipedia•Nationalencyklopedin, NE•Vacation Act 1977:480•Article in DN 20 July 2013
The first legislation in Sweden regarding vacation entitlement was enacted in 1938. Under this law, all employees were entitled to two weeks of vacation. Vacation duration was increased to three weeks in 1951 and four weeks in 1963. The current law dates from 1977 (1977:480) and took effect in 1978. At that time, vacation entitlement was extended to five weeks.The Vacation Act governs the annual leave, annual leave pay, and annual leave compensation. Any agreement that provides the employee with benefits less favorable than those stipulated by law is invalid. A vacation year runs from April 1 to March 31 of the following year. The corresponding period in the preceding year is referred to as the accrual year. By law, vacation pay amounts to 12 percent of the employee’s salary during the accrual year.Employees who are entitled to more than 20 days of annual leave may carry over any unused days for up to five years and then take them as a single block of time off. If operational circumstances permit, the law allows them to accumulate ten weeks of leave once every six years. Saturdays and Sundays are not normally counted as vacation days. An employee is entitled to take a certain number of vacation days during the vacation year with vacation pay proportional to the length of time the employee has worked for the employer during the accrual year. An employer may offer better vacation terms in an employment contract than the minimum requirements set forth in the Vacation Act or collective bargaining agreements. It is relatively common today for employees to have 6 weeks or more, depending on their employment contract or collective bargaining agreement, plus paid public holidays. In Sweden, we have 9 paid public holidays (that do not fall on a Sunday).The vacation year is the 12-month period during which vacation leave must be taken and vacation pay is paid out. The accrual year is the year in which paid vacation days and vacation pay are accrued. The number of paid vacation days an employee is entitled to is calculated based on the accrual year, which is the preceding vacation year. A common method of calculation under white-collar agreements in the private sector is that the employee retains their regular monthly salary and receives a vacation bonus for each paid vacation day.In Sweden, it is common to take 3–4 consecutive weeks off in the summer, usually in June, July, or August. The most popular month is July, when the vast majority of Swedes take their vacation. Saturdays and Sundays are not normally counted as vacation days.
The statutory vacation entitlement we have in Sweden is not a given in every country. In Japan, for example, employees are only entitled to 10 days of paid vacation per year. In the United States, there is no statutory right to vacation at all; vacation entitlements are instead regulated through employment contracts. The average American in the private sector has 10 days of paid vacation and 6 paid public holidays.The European countries that guarantee employees the longest consecutive vacation periods are Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands. In Sweden and Finland, employees are entitled to four weeks of consecutive vacation. In some other countries, there is no assurance of consecutive vacation days.
Number of statutory vacation days in
several countries
•Germany – 30 days•France – 30 days•Denmark – 30 days•Italy – 28 days•Sweden – 25 days•Finland – 25 days•The Netherlands – 25 days•Norway – 25 days•Austria – 25 days•Great Britain – 24,7 days•Spain – 25 days•Ireland – 24 days•Greece – 23 days•Portugal – 22 days•Belgium – 20 days•Switzerland – 20 days•Australia– 20 days•Japan – 10 days•Canada – 10 days•USA – 0 daysThe countries listed above and the number of vacation days in those countries represent the statutory vacation entitlement. Employees in these nations, however, may be entitled to additional vacation days as a result of employment contracts and collective bargaining agreements, in addition to paid public holidays.
Source References
•Wikipedia•Nationalencyklopedin, NE•Vacation Act 1977:480•Article in DN 20 July 2013
