By JOYCE HOOI

PROMPTING one of the rare occasions Singaporeans will wish they were in Russia, the latest Mercer survey has found that employees in countries such as Finland, Brazil and Russia have among the highest number of statutory holidays.

Employees in Finland, Brazil and France are entitled to 30 days a year, while those in Russia, Lithuania and the UK have 28 days, according to Mercer's 2009 Worldwide Benefit and Employment Guidelines, which surveyed more than 40 countries.

Workers in Singapore get just 14 days - on par with Hong Kong and among the lowest globally and in the region. The actual situation, however, is not as bleak - for multinational companies at least.

Godelieve Kroonenberg, regional benefits product manager with Mercer in Asia, said 99 per cent of MNCs in Singapore offer 20-21 days in holiday allowances. The only other countries with lower statutory holiday entitlements are India with 12 days and Canada and China with 10 days. The US has no statutory minimum but employees typically receive 15 days a year.

The figures in the survey are based on statutory entitlements for an employee working five days a week, with 10 years' service. When public holidays are taken into account, Brazil shares pole position with Lithuania. The two countries' employees top the list for potential to access the most time off work, with 40 days in total from a combination of statutory entitlements and public holidays.

Singapore, with 11 public holidays, gets a boost to 25 days in total. But India, lower-ranked based on statutory holidays alone, pole-vaults over Singapore, with its 16 public holidays bringing the final tally to 28 days.

India and Japan currently have the highest number of public holidays globally.

Within the region, Japanese workers are the most well-off holiday-wise, with 36 days in total.

Even then, company practices count for a good deal where the actual amount of available holidays is concerned.

'Employers are often within their rights to ask employees to work on public holidays or require that they be taken as part of their annual leave entitlements,' said Matthew Hunt, a principal in Mercer's international team who advises multinationals on employment practices.

Numbers aside, the devil - as many workers will attest - is in the details of the contract.

'For example, while it appears that employees in the UK have more total holidays than those in Malta, company contracts can create a different picture,' Mr Hunt said.

This article was first published in The Business Times.