Oz workers take the least annual leave in the world!

Sydney, June 11 : Off all the employees in the world, those working Down Under are the least likely to take their entitled annual leave.

The finding is based on the annual global Vacation Deprivation survey by online travel company Expedia.

The company noted that this was the second year that Aussies have ranked the worst in the world in this particular capacity.

As for what is affecting Aussies' travel plans, well financial pressures, higher interest rates, work commitments and credit crunch are all to blame.

32 per cent of workers blamed the credit crunch and higher interest rates, while 34 per cent blamed work commitments.

"I hope the results of this survey encourage Australians to take more holidays in line with the rest of the world," smh.com.au quoted Expedia managing director Arthur Hoffman, as saying.

Dr Ben Searle, organisational psychologist at Macquarie University, agreed that the results of the survey were worrying.

"Working for extended periods without taking time off to recharge can affect health and relationships, and in extreme cases has been linked to premature deaths," he said.

ANI