A new study reveals that 39.7 million people, 14% of the EU population, could not afford to go on holiday for a week in 2022.
In 2022, two million fewer Europeans they could afford to go on vacation compared to the previous year, according to a new study published on July 30 by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).
While millions of people prepare their bags for go on vacation in Augustothers They can’t afford a week’s vacationneither in your own country nor abroad.
“It is also unsafe for workers, they need to have time to recover,” ETUC Secretary General Esther Lynch told ‘Euronews’, adding that it is “important for coping with burnout and ensure that you return to work restored and renewed.
In a press release with the results of the study, Lynch added that “a vacation They are not a luxuryhaving time outside with the family is key to protect physical and mental health of workers, in addition to providing valuable experiences for children.
France, the country with the greatest increase in vacation poverty
The situation is not the same in all Member States of the European Union. The study shows that the largest increase in vacation poverty occurred in Francewhere, although still below the EU average, almost five million people were unable to go on vacation.
The largest percentage increase was registered in Irelandwith a 4% increase (now standing at 14.8%) between 2021 and 2022 in the number of people in the country’s workforce who could not afford a holiday.
There are 13 countries in which the situation is worse than the bloc’s average of 14.6%, with Romania at the bottom with 36%.
According to the European Commission, nearly half of European workers consider that stress is common in the workplace and one of the most difficult problems in terms of safety and health in the workplace.
The communication on mental health published by the Community Executive highlights the need to work in the right to disconnect as “an integral part of the reduction from work-related stress and promoting a better work-life balance.”
Germans spend more money on international trips
According to Eurostat, 62% of EU residents took at least one personal tourist trip in 2022 and half of them were short, domestic trips. The data also shows that Germans spend the most money on international travel (€85.2 billion), followed by France (€39.2 billion).
The ability to afford a one-week annual vacation away from home is one of the indicators used by the European Union to measure material and social deprivation in the block.
This indicator, together with the ability to meet unforeseen expensesaccess to a car for personal use and the ability to adequately maintain housing, among others, provides a measure related to the capacity of individuals to access items that most people consider desirable or even necessary to experience an adequate quality of life.
Lynch added that one of the great social advances of the 20th century was the increase in the number of working class families who could afford a vacation.
“It improved the health and well-being of millions of people and contributed to a feeling of progress and optimism,” he said, adding that the study’s figures “show how social progress is being reversed as consequence of the increase in economic inequality“.
The union warns that the figures for 2023 could be worse due to rising holiday costs given that salaries do not adjust to inflation.
