• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
The UK gets significantly fewer bank holidays than most countries in Europe

Home> Entertainment

Published 16:59 26 Dec 2022 GMT

The UK gets significantly fewer bank holidays than most countries in Europe

Other countries in Europe tend to get far more bank holidays than what's provided here in the UK.

Harley Young

Harley Young

Enjoying a long Christmas bank-holiday weekend? Well, if you lived in one of these countries in Europe you could enjoy an extra long weekend more often.

In fact, when compared against all the other countries situated in Europe, England and Wales are at the bottom of the list for time off given for public holidays.

Workers in England and Wales can typically expect eight bank holidays per year, with this year being an exception, due to the Queen's Platinum Jubilee on the first week of June and her funeral on 19 September bringing the total up to 10.

Advert

Brits got two extra bank holidays this year.
Richard Surman/Unsplash

We're also expected one extra bank holiday in May 2023, marking the coronation of King Charles following the Queen's passing, which will take us up to nine bank holidays in total.

Residents of Scotland are given one additional bank holiday, whereas Northern Ireland tops the UK bank holiday chart with an extra two public holidays.

However, even in spite of the additional bank holidays given this year, the UK still falls far behind its European counterparts when displayed in a league table.

Among the countries with the most generous amount of public holidays are Italy (12 days), Portugal (13 days) and Austria (13 days).

Advert

Topping the chart with a whopping two weeks of bank holidays is Malta with 14 days minimum amongst labour sectors, with some industries being given even more.

Magdalenalena/Pixabay
Magdalenalena/Pixabay

Don't worry though, we're not the only area of Europe that's considered to be lacking when it comes to bank holidays.

With a comparable public holiday allowance, Denmark (nine days), Germany (nine days) and the Netherlands (nine days) accompany the UK at the bottom of the leaderboard.

What's more, unlike the UK, most countries in Europe won't provide an extra day off to compensate if a public holiday should fall on a weekend. Also worth noting, not all workers are entitled to time off for all public holidays in countries like the Netherlands.

Advert

In a turn of events, The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has urged the UK government to increase the amount of public holidays in England and Wales to be closer to the EU average of 12.8 days to provide a well-deserved break.

Frances O’Grady, General Secretary of the TUC, said: “Some politicians have been calling UK workers lazy. But we work some of the longest hours in Europe. And we get the fewest public holidays.”

But there have been no signs we're getting any more bank holidays so far.

Featured Image Credit: IanDagnall Computing/Diana Pappas/Alamy Stock Photo
Harley Young
Harley Young

Freelance Journalist for LADbible Group

X

@Harley__Young

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

2 hours ago
14 hours ago
  • 2 hours ago

    Award-winning chef gives honest verdict on price of Sunday roast he ate at Jeremy Clarkson’s pub

    The Farm's Dog pub has faced backlash for its prices

    Entertainment
  • 2 hours ago

    Near perfect Netflix series has a dark psychopath plot that viewers can't stop binging in one sitting

    The show is available to watch on Netflix now

    Entertainment
  • 2 hours ago

    Staff who quit Jeremy Clarkson's pub two days after opening speak out following backlash from show

    The pair raised serious issues about the running of the pub during Clarkson's Farm

    Entertainment
  • 14 hours ago

    Bryan Cranston explained real reason Erik Per Sullivan turned down Malcolm in the Middle return

    He's not going to be part of the return

    Entertainment
  • Most expensive beers in UK revealed as price of pint breaks new record
  • Man who visited all 197 countries in the world reveals 'worst' country he went to in Europe
  • UK position explained as Trump announces 90-day tariff pause for most countries
  • Doctor found vaping could be worse than smoking in world-first study as UK brings in vape ban