Annual leave in Australia: an analysis of entitlements, usage and preferences

This report highlights the low level of annual leave available to most Australian employees when compared to the amount of leave available to European workers. A survey commissioned by The Australia Institute found that 57 per cent of full-time employees did not take their full holiday leave entitlements in 2002; 42 per cent of those who did not take all their leave failed to do so because they were too busy at work or could not get time off that suited them; and 52 per cent of full-time employees would prefer an extra two weeks annual holiday to a four per cent pay rise. A summary of the report is available online