Workers get more vacation, less paid sick leave

American workers get more vacation time today than a decade ago but far fewer paid sick days, according to new government data.

The average full-time worker at a private company gets 10 days of vacation a year, up from eight days in 1993, according to the analysis by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

That expands over time, with the average employee getting 14 vacation days after five years (compared with 13 days in 1993) and 20 days after 20 years (versus 18 days in 1993).

However, the boost in paid vacations is being more than offset by a pronounced reduction in paid sick days off.

For the average full-timer who’s been at his or her company for a year, paid sick time has dropped to eight days from 10 days in 1993, according to the BLS. That’s the exact reverse of the increase in vacation