11 April 2023 | See disclaimer
Find out Australians' attitudes and beliefs about annual leave from Budget Direct's latest survey.
Quick Stats
- Over 60% of Australians did not take all of their annual leave days last year.
- Over 50% of Australians wanted to save their leave instead of taking it. Half of this group wanted to save specifically for a bigger holiday.
- Over 60% of Australians do not think four weeks of paid leave is enough time off during the year.
Annual Leave Insights
In February 2023 the number of people who took annual leave returned to pre-pandemic levels [1]. While all full-time and part-time employees get four weeks of paid annual leave in Australia [2], it was the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic which led to many Australians accruing more annual leave than ever before. [3]
Heading into the 2021-22 Summer break Australians had a record amount of annual leave saved up [3]. In February 2022, there were only 116,670 Australian residents who travelled overseas for a short-term holiday* and in February 2023 this number ballooned to 566,900. [4]
*Short-term are travellers who have been away or in Australia for less than 12 months.
Annual Leave Survey Results^
Do you feel restricted by work commitments for when you can take annual leave?
Nearly two-thirds (58.18%) of Australians surveyed feel restricted by work commitments when they could take annual leave.
Over 60% of female participants feel restricted by work commitments at times when they could take annual leave.
Nearly 70% of participants aged 18-27 feel restricted by work commitments.
In the last five years, 5% more Australian participants have felt restricted by work commitments.
Last year, did you take all the paid annual leave days you earned?
Two-thirds (61.62%) of Australians surveyed did not take all of their earned annual leave days from last year.
More than two-thirds of female participants did not take all the paid annual leave days they earnt.
Over 65% of participants aged 18-27 did not take all their paid annual leave days.
In 2023, the number of Australian respondents who took all of their annual leave decreased by 10% from 2018.
What was the main reason for not taking your annual leave days last year?
A quarter (26.36%) of Australians surveyed wanted to save their annual leave days from last year. Another quarter (25.58%) of Australians wanted to specifically save for a long holiday.
Nearly 20% (18.75%) of participants aged 68-77 did not take annual leave because they did not want the time off. And 9% of participants aged 18-27 did not take annual leave days because they felt guilty.
In 2023, the number of Australians surveyed who wanted to save their leave has increased by nearly 7%. However, the number of participants who wanted to save their annual leave for a bigger holiday decreased by about 4%.
Have you ever had to take forced leave (e.g. Christmas shutdown)?
Nearly 55% (54.51%) of Australians surveyed were forced to take leave.
Two-thirds (60.94%) of participants aged 28-37 were forced to take annual leave.
Over the last five years, 4% more Australian respondents were forced to take annual leave.
Do you think four weeks of paid leave in Australia is sufficient to take all intended trips or time off for the year?
Over 60% (64.29%) of Australians surveyed don’t think four weeks of paid leave is enough time off during the year.
Over 70% (71.91%) of female participants don’t think four weeks is enough paid leave.
More than 75% of participants aged 18-27 do not think four weeks is enough. The percentage of participants who agreed with this statement decreased with age.
The number of Australian respondents who think four weeks is enough paid leave for the year decreased by 6.5% from 2018-23.
Are you able to completely switch off from work when you’re on personal holidays?
Nearly 60% (57.40%) of Australians surveyed can completely switch off from work on a holiday.
Over 60% (63.08%) of male participants can switch off while they are away.
More than 50% of participants aged 18-27 couldn’t switch off while on holiday.
^Due to how the figures are rounded within the survey data, numbers may not add up to exactly 100%.
Key Takeaways
Australians are more likely to save their annual leave instead of using it
Over 50% of Australians surveyed want to save their leave instead of taking it. And over 25% of Australians in this group wanted to specifically save for a long holiday. Even in a post-pandemic world, Australians seem to be more likely to continue saving their leave for travel or other occasions, instead of taking it throughout the year.
Australians’ opinions on annual leave are likely to change based on their age
Australians' opinions on annual leave will likely vary depending on their age. More than 75% of participants aged 18-27 don’t think four weeks is enough annual leave compared to only 35% of participants aged 68-77.
It should be noted that annual leave and paid sick leave were only gradually introduced into federal awards from 1935-1970’s until 10 days of sick leave and four weeks of annual leave became standard [7].
