No Vacation: Less Than 20% of Japanese Workers Take Full Paid Leave

The human resources company Staff Service Holdings recently conducted a survey regarding workers taking vacation in Japan. When respondents were asked about how the atmosphere was in the workplace when they took vacation, 70.2% answered that they felt it was “easy to take” leave. At 76.1%, members of Generation Z felt it easiest to take vacation.

Nonetheless, although the majority said they felt comfortable putting in a request for vacation, 43.7% felt uncomfortable.

Only 18.8% of respondents took all of their annual paid leave, and even among those in the bubble generation, who ranked highest for taking 100% of vacation days, the figure was just 22.6%. In contrast, 42.5% used less than 40% of their paid leave, showing that the balance for many people is tilted more toward work than life.

The survey, conducted online in July 2023, targeted 920 working people aged between 17 and 62.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)