Job seekers are placing an increasing importance on short working hours or the number of holidays in choosing companies.
The Labor Ministry has disclosed data on companies’ employment conditions such as the number of holidays and usage of annual paid leave (hereinafter, “annual leave,”) in the 2023 General Survey on Working Conditions. The data are useful for companies to compare their conditions with general levels. This article looks at the survey data, focusing on the number of annual leave, usage of annual leave and the situation of special holidays.
[1] Average number of annual holidays
The average number of company workers’ holidays was 110.7 days in 2022 (or fiscal 2021), increasing 3.7 days from 107.0 days in the previous year. By company sizes, the average number of holidays in companies with 30-99 employees was 109.8 days, 100-299 employees, 111.6 days, 300-999 employees, 115.7 days, and 1,000 employees or more, 116.3 days, respectively.
[2] Usage of annual leave
Average number of annual leave days (excluding days carried over from the previous year) granted by companies in 2022 (or fiscal 2021) was unchanged from the previous year at 17.6 days per worker. Among them, workers took 10.9 days of annual leave on average (10.3 days in the previous year), equal to 62.1% of annual leave they were given (58.3% in the previous year). The percentage was the highest since 1984, exceeding 60% for the first time. By company sizes, the percentages in companies with 30-99 employees was 57.1%, 100-299 employees, 62.1%, 300-999 employees, 61.8%, and 1,000 employees or more, 65.6%, respectively.
[3] Special leave
Among the benefits provided by companies is special leave, which is granted in addition to annual leave. In the latest survey, 55.5% of companies had special leave programs, such as summer holidays or sick leave, compared with 58.9% in the year earlier. The table below shows the types of leave.
Table Percentages of companies by the types of special leave
|
|
Companies with special leave |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Summer holidays |
Sick leave |
Refresh leave |
Volunteer leave |
Vocational training leave |
Other leave for 1 week or longer |
No special leave |
|
|
2023 total |
55.0 |
37.8 |
21.9 |
12.9 |
4.4 |
3.4 |
14.2 |
42.9 |
|
30-99 employees |
50.6 |
36.4 |
18.4 |
9.3 |
2.5 |
3.7 |
12.1 |
46.7 |
|
100-299 employees |
62.7 |
41.6 |
28.9 |
16.3 |
6.3 |
3.1 |
17.1 |
36.6 |
|
300-999 employees |
70.0 |
41.8 |
31.3 |
29.5 |
11.3 |
0.7 |
21.4 |
29.5 |
|
1,000 or more employees |
76.9 |
36.7 |
37.9 |
43.9 |
23.8 |
3.5 |
30.6 |
22.3 |
The number of holidays is an important factor in securing employees. To improve recruitment capability, please make use of these data and examine what are your disadvantages.
[Reference]
Labor Ministry, “Fiscal 2023 General Survey on Working Conditions”
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/toukei/itiran/roudou/jikan/syurou/23/index.html
The contents are based on laws and regulations as of the date of this article.
