An alarming trend has emerged in Ireland’s workforce, with over 40% of employees not taking full advantage of their holiday entitlements. According to a survey conducted by FRS Recruitment, nearly one in five Irish workers left five days of their annual leave unused in the past year.
The survey, which gathered responses from nearly 1,900 employees across Ireland, revealed that 42% of workers did not use all of their allocated holidays in 2023. Specifically, 19% reported not using at least five days of leave, which amounts to a full working week. An additional 15% stated they failed to take four days off, while 17% said three days went unused. Furthermore, 19% of employees did not use two days of their entitled leave.
The findings also highlighted that a significant portion of employees are opting for shorter breaks. Around 24% of workers reported that their longest period of leave in the past year was less than a week, while 38% said their longest break was two weeks.
Negotiating Leave, Yet Not Using It
“After salaries, holidays and annual leave entitlements are among the most critical points of negotiation between employees and employers,” explained Lynne McCormack, general manager at FRS Recruitment. “However, despite the importance of these days off, a growing number of employees are simply not taking them.”
Ms. McCormack expressed concern over the trend, noting that one in five workers are effectively losing out on a week of paid time off each year.
“Some people may choose not to take their leave because they receive compensation in lieu or prefer to carry it over to the following year,” she said. “But over 30% of respondents say they lose their unused days altogether.”
The survey also shed light on the holiday patterns of Irish workers. “The most common choice was a two-week break, which was taken by 40% of respondents. However, for 25% of workers, the longest time they spent away from work was less than one week,” McCormack added.
As paid leave continues to be a key factor in employment negotiations, the results of this survey reveal a surprising contradiction: while employees value their holiday entitlements, many are leaving these days untaken, leading to questions about work-life balance and the pressures of modern work culture.