Americans book days off as economy recovers

The number of U. S. workers on vacation has risen by the most since 2006, a sign of an improving labour market as more Americans have sufficient income and job security to take a few days off.

The BGOV Barometer shows there were 2.7 million people on vacation during April, based on the U. S. Labor Department’s monthly survey of employment conditions. The 12- month average was up four per cent, the biggest jump since 2006, before the deepest recession since the 1930s threw 8.8 million Americans out of work.

As the U. S. unemployment rate has declined to 8.1 per cent last month from 10 per cent in October 2009, more people have jobs to take vacations from, and have held them long enough to earn days off. Confidence in those jobs and the additional disposable income they provide also make workers more willing to take vacation days.

More workers on vacation is a “little sign” of growth and shows that Americans are feeling more comfortable about the economy, said Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economic Advisors Inc. in Holland, Penn.

“For a long time they had been too concerned about losing their jobs,” Naroff said. “Taking vacations, sick days, they tended not to do those.”

Increased confidence also should put employers on notice that workers may be growing less fearful of losing their current jobs, Naroff said.