Australian workers have 209 million days of unused leave

Australians are entering the 2024/25 summer with over 209 million days of unused annual leave, a trend fueled by pandemic lockdowns and cost-of-living pressures, according to Roy Morgan. Although the leave stockpile peaked at 216 million earlier this year, recent shifts toward part-time employment have stalled its growth. Currently, 35% of paid workers have no annual leave, while those who do average around 20 days each. This substantial reservoir of unused leave presents a significant opportunity for the tourism sector as over 1.5 million workers hold more than five weeks of leave.