Why is the United States the only wealthy nation without guaranteed paid vacation time?

While workers across the European Union and in countries from Mexico to Afghanistan are legally entitled to paid leave, the United States offers zero federal guarantees. This episode explores the economic and historical factors that make America a global outlier regarding time off.

The United States stands alone among the world's wealthiest nations in its lack of mandated paid vacation or holidays. While the European Union guarantees a minimum of four weeks of paid leave for every worker regardless of tenure or salary, American labor law provides no such requirement for the formal job sector.

This disparity raises fundamental questions about the trade-off between income and leisure. By consulting labor economists and historians, the investigation examines why the American approach to work-life balance diverges so sharply from international norms, where paid time off is treated as a fundamental right rather than a discretionary benefit.

Source: Vacation and why Americans take so little | Planet Money