Hong Kong workers take more leave in shorter bursts

Nearly 69% of them used at least 80% of annual leave entitlement. 

Hong Kong workers are taking annual leave in shorter blocks, with two-day breaks accounting for 37.5% of multi-day leave requests, according to a Deel report.

This was higher than Singapore, where two-day breaks made up 31.9% of multi-day leave requests.

Lauren Thomas, economist at Deel, said the findings show Hong Kong employees are taking leave in a way that supports sustained productivity.

“Hong Kong has often been viewed as a city with a demanding work culture, but our data shows a more balanced reality,” Thomas added.

Workers in Hong Kong took a median of 16.5 annual leave days in 2025, the second-highest level in Asia-Pacific (APAC).

The city ranked behind Singapore, where workers took a median of 19 days, and ahead of Australia, where workers took 16 days despite a higher statutory leave entitlement.

The report also showed 68.6% of Hong Kong workers used at least 80% of their annual leave entitlement, the second-highest share in the region after Singapore at 77.5%.

The study covered more than 4,500 full-time workers on Deel APAC contracts who requested leave during the 2025 calendar year.

The sample included workers across Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, India, the Philippines, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, mainland China, Vietnam, and other regional markets.