While millions of Europeans are vacationing on the Mediterranean coast or are yet to go on vacation, data shows that not every EU citizen can afford a week's vacation. A new study shows that in 2022 almost 40 million workers, or 14 percent of the EU population, will have to stay at home.

The organization is not yet releasing last year's data, but warns it could be worse, as holiday costs have risen to a record high and wages have been cut in real terms across the Union due to inflation. However, the situation is not the same in all member states. Compared to the previous year, the percentage of "holiday poverty" increased the most in Ireland, where almost 460.000 people had to stay at home (122.000 people more than the previous year). In France, almost 4,7 million people could not afford a week's holiday the previous year.

The worst is in Romania, where almost 36 percent of workers cannot afford a week's vacation. In addition to Romania, Cyprus and Greece were also at the bottom of the list (a quarter of the workers in both countries could not afford a one-week vacation at home or abroad), analyzes H1 Slovenia. On the other hand, "only" less than five percent of Finnish and Swedish workers go without vacation.

According to data from the European Trade Union Confederation, in 2022 more than 100.000 Slovenian workers (7,9 percent) could not afford a holiday – this is slightly more than the previous year, when just under 94.000 employees could not afford annual leave. . By comparison, 450.000 workers (19,4 percent) could not afford a holiday in Croatia the previous year, 335.000 people (5,9 percent) in Austria, and six million workers in Italy.