Belgians have an average of 28.5 days of annual leave a year. But with teachers coming out on top with over 41 days and those working in hospitality having just 22, how many days are people in different sectors given?
For years, the average number of holidays in Belgium has been around 28. This year, it rose slightly to 28.5, according to an employee survey by job website Jobat. Overall, men have marginally more holidays than women: 28.73 and 28.05 per year, respectively. This is due to the higher proportion of women working part-time. But far more substantial differences can be seen between sectors.
"It is and remains the most-heard cliché, but let's face it, teachers have the highest number of holidays per year," Jobat stated. "The survey shows this clearly: teachers are entitled to an average of 41.12 days of (paid) holiday per year."
In contrast, employees in the hospitality industry are only entitled to 21.71 days of leave each year, on average. The legal minimum in Belgium is 20 holidays per year for people working five days a week. People working six days a week are entitled to a minimum of 24 holidays.
"Looking at the number of holidays by age, it is no surprise that older employees have more holidays than their younger colleagues on average," the press release added. Generally, 18- to 25-year-olds have an average of 25.65 days, compared to 29.54 days for 46- to 55-year-olds.
The size of the company also matters: the bigger the company, the more leave is offered. Companies smaller than ten employees have 23.20 days, while those in companies with more than 1,000 employees have 31.76.
An overview of the number of average days per sector and per age bracket can be found on the Jobat website. The tool also allows employees to compare their own holidays and full salary package against those of similar profiles.
