World of HR: The majority of workers in Nordic nations take at least 11 days of PTO during the summer

As we near the end of the summer, some may reflect longingly on a well-deserved break from work. Others, depending on what country they live in, may wonder if they took any time off at all.

Where in the world? A recent report from Deel Works analyzed 2025 PTO data from around the world.

While employees in most countries have access to at least 15 days off per year, not all took them. For example, less than 20% of workers in Canada and India used all of their PTO, whereas nearly 50% of workers in the UK and Norway, who were given more time off, took all of their allotted days off.

While some countries reported steady PTO trends (Germany consistently had the most employees OOO, while India and the Philippines had the least), others saw spikes during specific times of the year.

August was the most popular time to vacation in several European countries, with at least 30% of employees in Spain, Italy, and France marking themselves OOO during the second week of the month. Summer was also the most popular time for workers to take their longest vacation of the year, with many in Nordic countries including Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway taking at least 11 days off at once.

Satellite view. Workers at US companies were less likely to use their PTO, even in the summer, when the majority of workers took off fewer than three days at once. Some employees may be afraid of falling behind or losing out on work if they use PTO, according to Pew Research.

“Employees are seeing headlines about layoffs and AI disruption, then instinctively holding onto time off as a buffer,” Michael Baynes, CEO and co-founder of Clarify Capital told HR Executive. “The most effective organizations treat PTO like any other performance metric. They normalize it and build systems that make unplugging possible.”