Maine workers tops in using earned vacation time, report says

HALLOWELL – Maine workers hold the top spot in the United States when it comes to using their vacation time, according to a report by Project: Time Off.

The report said that 38 percent of workers in the state leave vacation time on the table, as opposed to 54 percent nationwide, and that Mainers are less affected than the average worker by the barriers to taking time off, according to the Maine Tourism Association, which issued a news release on the report.

The report said only 11 percent of Maine workers are afraid they’ll lose consideration for a raise or promotion if they take time off, as opposed to 21 percent of workers nationwide. Workers also report better vacation cultures at their companies. More than half, 54 percent, of Maine’s workers say their company encourages time off, far more than the 33 percent of workers nationally who say the same, according to the report.

Project: Time Off is an initiative created by the U.S. Travel Association to win back America’s unused vacation days, the tourism association release said. Americans take on average about one week less vacation per year than they did 40 years ago, the association said. Vacation use remained constant from 1976 to 2000, on average taking a little over 20 days. In the last 15 years, the average has decreased to around 16 days.

Mainers are still leaving 2.6 million days of vacation time on the table, which results in the potential of $700 million in direct spending, despite the fact the state is tops in the country for taking time off.
Last year over 662 million vacation days went unused in America, resulting in $236 billion in lost spending, 1.8 million jobs lost, and $70 billion in potential income.

Of the 662 million vacation days, 206 million are forfeited forever costing workers $66 billion in lost benefits, the release said.

As a coalition partner of the project and the U.S. Travel Association, the Maine Tourism Association, with support from the Maine Office of Tourism has launched a Project:Time Off-inspired series of videos encouraging Mainers to use their earned vacation time. The goal is to take a proactive approach and help create a positive vacation environment within Maine businesses and boosting Maine’s economy.

To view the videos, visit www.mainetourism.com/letsgo. For more information on Project: Time Off, go to projectimeoff.com.