This report reviews international vacation and holiday laws and finds that the United States is the only advanced economy that does not guarantee its workers any paid vacation or holidays. As a result, one in four U.S. workers do not receive any paid vacation or paid holidays. The lack of paid vacation and paid holidays in the United States is particularly acute for lower-wage and part-time workers, and for employees of small businesses. This report also includes a comparative appendix with information on paid leave and holiday laws in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
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Canada Department of Human Resources and Social Development. 2005. Part III of the Canadian Labour Code: Sick Leave and Work-Related Illness and Injury Leave. Ottawa: DHRSD (December 8). Accessed April 25, 2007. www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/lp/lo/lswe/ls/publications/7.shtml.
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Embassy of the United States in Paris, France. 2006. Consular Services for American Citizens Residing in APP Rennes' District. Paris: U.S. State Department. Accessed April 25, 2007. www.amb-usa.fr/rennes/amcit/bbook06.pdf.
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European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. n.d.(a). EMIRE European Employment and Industrial Relations Glossaries. Accessed April 25, 2007. www.eurofound.europa.eu/emire/emire.html.
Federal Republic of Germany. 2005. In the Workplace: Individual and Collective Labor Law. A Manual for Germany. Second edition. Berlin: German Government Representative for Migration, Refugees and Integration. Accessed April 27, 2007. www.handbuchdeutschland.de/book/en/004_002_print.html.
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International Labour Organization. n.d.(b). NATLEX Labor Law Database. Geneva: ILO International Labour Standards Department. Accessed April 25, 2007. http://natlex.ilo.org/.
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Japan. 1999. Second Periodic Report by the Government of Japan under Articles 16 and 17 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. Tokyo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Accessed April 26, 2007. www.mofa.go.jp/policy/human/econo_rep2/index.html.
JorgensenH.2002. Give Me a Break: The Extent of Paid Holidays and Vacation. Washington, DC: Center for Economic and Policy Research (September). Accessed April 25, 2007. www.cepr.net/documents/publications/give_me_a_break.pdf.
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KamermanS., and S. Gatenio. 2002. Mother's Day: More Than Candy and Flowers, Working Parents Need Paid Time-Off. New York: The Clearinghouse on International Developments in Child, Youth, and Family Policies, Columbia University (Spring). Accessed April 25, 2007. www.childpolicyintl.org/issuebrief/issuebrief5.pdf.
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Kingdom of Norway. 1995. Act No. 4 of 4 February 1977 Respecting Workers' Protection and the Working Environment, as Amended to Act No. 2 of 6 January 1995. Accessed May 1, 2007. www.ilo.org/dyn/natlex/docs/WEBTEXT/13291/64814/E95NOR01.htm.
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Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. 2004. OECD Employment Outlook. Paris: OECD.
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Partena. 2006. Legal Requirements for Employing Staff in Belgium. Belgium: A Central Location in Europe. Brussels: Made in Brussels, pp. 29–33. Accessed April 27, 2007. www.newbusiness.be/Partena_2006.pdf.
Portuguese Republic. 1991. Decreto-Lei no. 397/91. Diário da República 238 (October 16), pp. 5370–5373. Accessed April 25, 2007. http://dre.pt/pdfgratis/1991/10/238A00.pdf.
Republic of Finland. 2001. Annual Holidays Act (272/1973) as Amended by Several Acts, Including No. 65/2001. Accessed April 25, 2007. www.finlex.fi/pdf/saadkaan/E9730272.PDF.
Republic of Finland. 2007. Working in Finland. Helsinki: Finland Office of Health and Safety Inspectorates (January 3). Accessed April 25, 2007. www.tyosuojelu.fi/fi/workingfinland.
United Kingdom. 1998. Statutory Instrument 1998 No. 1833: The Working Time Regulations 1998. Ch. 13–16. Accessed April 25, 2007. www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1998/19981833.htm.
United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2007. Employer Costs for Employee Compensation—December 2006. Washington, DC: BLS (March 29). Accessed April 25, 2007. www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/ecec_03142006.pdf.
Valais Economic Development Department. 2003. Facts Concerning Switzerland for Entrepreneurs, Advisors, and Decision-Makers. Bern: Switzerland State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (January). Accessed May 1, 2007. www.business-valais.ch/upload/files/factsconcerningSwitzerland.pdf.
