If you're the harried working parent of young kids, it often seems like there's a never-ending parade of holidays interfering with your well-crafted plans to earn money and make sure the kids are being properly cared for.
If you are a parent living in India or Colombia, that might indeed be the case. But in the United States, United Kingdom, Hungary and especially Mexico, the number of public holidays are in fact relatively few.
Consulting firm Mercer closely examined this issue and released a list of countries ranked by their public holidays. The top 10, with number of holidays listed, are:
- India: 18
- Colombia: 18
- Thailand: 16
- Lebanon: 16
- South Korea: 16
- Japan: 15
- Argentina: 15
- Chile: 15
- Finland: 15
- Turkey: 14.5
Essentially, the numbers descend rather straightforwardly. For instance, nine countries offer 14 holidays a year. Then the numbers descend without a gap of more than one holiday, through Mercer's entire list, down to lowly Mexico with its seven public holidays.
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The United States is a bit on the low side, with its 10 holidays, but lovers of public holidays in the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Australia enjoy even fewer.
And why do we care? Ed Hannibal, global leader of Mercer's Mobility Practice, said the data "highlights the complexities involved — in just this small area of benefits — for those managing a globally mobile workforce."
"In order for HR leaders to govern policy and make the most efficient decisions on behalf of the company and its expatriates, accurate and timely assessment of practices is vital," he continued.
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
