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Deel, the global HR platform, has launched a new editorial hub called Deel Works dedicated to the future of work, alongside its inaugural data study revealing significant global disparities in paid time off (PTO) usage. The research highlights a stark contrast between European and North American vacation habits, with Canadians taking the least time off among the countries analyzed.
Deel launches "Deel Works," an editorial hub for data-driven insights on the future of work.
Its first study analyzes over 159,000 time-off requests from 17,000+ employees.
European workers take a median of 23.5 PTO days annually, compared to 14 days in North America.
Canadians take the least time off globally (11 median days), even with mandated minimums.
Europeans with unlimited PTO take 4 more days off than those with fixed leave; in North America, there's no difference.
The data reveals distinct cultural patterns in sick leave and holiday-taking behaviors.
A key finding challenges the effectiveness of unlimited PTO policies across different regions. While European workers with unlimited leave take a median of four more days off than their counterparts with fixed allocations, there is virtually no difference in usage between the two policy types in the US and Canada. This underscores a significant cultural divide in how employees perceive and utilize flexible time-off benefits.
The data reveals a pronounced "PTO problem" in North America, particularly in Canada. Despite government-mandated minimums, Canadian workers took a median of just 11 days off, the lowest among all studied countries. Americans took 16 days, while European nations like Sweden (28 days), France (27 days), and Germany (26 days) led significantly. The gap persists even within multinational companies, with European employees taking 25 median days versus 15 for North American colleagues.
Beyond the quantity of days, the study uncovered distinct regional patterns. Germans and French are more likely to take extended "long-haul" holidays, while the UK and Ireland lead in taking time off around Christmas. France shows a high rate of longer sick leaves, while North American workers are less likely to take sick days overall, with only 29% doing so compared to 39% of Europeans.
The launch of Deel Works aims to fill what the company sees as a data gap in discussions about global work trends. With access to anonymized data from over 1.5 million workers, the hub intends to provide real-time analysis on topics like AI's impact on hiring, immigration trends, and the true state of remote work, moving beyond anecdotal evidence to data-driven insights.
The inaugural data from Deel Works paints a clear picture of deeply ingrained cultural attitudes toward work and time off that transcend company policy. It suggests that for global companies to create equitable cultures, they must move beyond standardized policies and actively address regional behavioral nuances. The findings provide a quantified foundation for HR leaders to rethink how they support employee well-being and productivity across different geographies.
About Deel
Deel is the all-in-one payroll and HR platform for global teams. Built for the way the world works today, Deel combines payroll, HRIS, compliance, benefits, performance, and equipment management into one seamless platform. With AI-powered tools and a fully owned payroll infrastructure, Deel supports every worker type in 150+ countries—helping businesses scale smarter, faster, and more compliantly.
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