1 in 4 Donegal workers skip a week or more of annual leave

A RECENT survey by FRS Recruitment has revealed that 26% of people in Donegal didn’t take all their holidays last year.

This is significantly lower than the national average, where 42% of people across Ireland failed to use up all their annual leave.

The FRS Recruitment Annual Leave Report highlights that “1 in 5 people (21%) in Donegal didn’t take 5 days of annual leave or more,” essentially forfeiting a week’s worth of holidays.

The report also notes that “6% didn’t take 4 days, 16% had 3 days which went unused, 30% opted against using up 2 days of leave and 13% had 1 day of their holidays remaining”

The survey delves into how residents of Donegal are using their holiday entitlements.

It found that “Eight out of 10 people (80%) in Donegal used annual leave for foreign travel last year,” while 65% used it for domestic travel. Other reasons for taking leave included family reasons (30%), personal reasons (10%), and illness (8%).

In terms of unused leave, “Three out of ten people (29%) in Donegal say unused annual leave is carried into the following year,” while 28% receive a payment in lieu. However, 22% of respondents said their leave is lost if not used.

The survey also explored other types of leave taken in Donegal, revealing that 22% took sick leave, 12% took care leave, 18% took maternity/paternity leave, 2% took study leave, and 3% took leave due to bereavement.

Lynne McCormack, General Manager with FRS Recruitment, remarked on the findings, saying: “What was surprising was the number of people who are not making full use of their leave, both in Donegal and around the country. Even more eye-opening are the number of days leave that haven’t been used, with 5 days or more not being used by 1 in 5 people in Donegal last year.”

She also noted the evolving nature of holiday and leave policies, stating: “The use of holidays and annual leave is clearly evolving, both from a policy perspective and in terms of what we do with that time. Longer term, this will have implications for how we view our days off and how they are managed by our employers too.”

The survey, which involved 1,886 participants, provides valuable insights into the holiday habits of Donegal residents and could shape future employment policies in the region.

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