Report says Americans are half as likely to be on vacation now as they were in the 80s, but why?

• An average of just 1.7% of American workers were on vacation in December, according to federal data. 
• The Washington Post analyzed vacation data over decades to find out why Americans take vacation less often than they used to.  
• Many workers have PTO, personal days, and sick days lumped into the same pool of time. 

Americans are about half as likely to be on vacation now as they were in the 1980s, according to an analysis of federal data by the Washington Post. 

In early 1980, an average of about 3.2% of the American labor force was on vacation at any given time, according to the Post. In December 2022, that rate fell to just 1.7%. 

The figures are based on the Census Bureau's monthly studies of about 60,000 Americans to determine the unemployment rate. The studies include questions about whether respondents are working and help the Bureau of Labor Statistics determine how many are on vacation weekly, according to the Post. 

So why are Americans taking less vacation time? After all, while workers aren't guaranteed paid time off, about 90% of full-time private industry workers have access to paid vacation, according to the Post. 

Economic and human resource professionals pointed out that some may fear their jobs are at risk if they're away from the office or computer. 

"Except for in very short periods of time, the late '90s or the few years leading up to the pandemic recession, workers have had very little leverage," economist Elise Gould told the Washington Post. "You see that in wages, so then why wouldn't you see that in their ability to take benefits?"

Blue-collar workers, such as construction workers, are the least likely to be on paid vacation, while teachers are the most likely to take time off. Older and more educated workers also are more likely to be on vacation, according to the Post. 

Also, workers' paid time off plans increasingly lump vacation, sick, and personal days into one category, the Post reported.

"Workers may be reluctant to use PTO because they feel that they have to save it for health or personal days," Gould told the Post. "They may also be reluctant to use PTO when they are sick because they want to save it for vacations. It could go both ways."