Unlimited PTO Statistics (2023)
Unlimited paid time off (PTO) is a vacation policy that has caused some debate:
- On one hand, employers trusting their employees enough to offer as much vacation time as they want seems great
- On the other, people have criticized that unlimited PTO limits the amount of time off people take and allows the employee to not pay out for unused vacation days
No matter where you stand, in this article you’ll find the statistical picture for the adoption of unlimited time off. We’ve compiled every meaningful statistic about the unlimited paid time off or unlimited vacation.
Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO) Statistics
Statistic | Study Title | Source | Publish Date |
"In 2021, more than one–third of private industry workers received 10 to 14 days of paid vacation after one year of service." | Bureau of Labor Statistics | February 6, 2017 | |
"After 10 years of service, 33 percent of private industry workers received between 15 and 19 days of paid vacation." | Bureau of Labor Statistics | February 6, 2017 | |
"Around 70% of American employees report they are satisfied with the amount of PTO they have." | Employee Benefit News Survey | June 27, 2022 | |
"Research from the job platform Indeed reveals unlimited PTO policies rose 178% between 2015 and 2019—a huge leap, even before the COVID-19 pandemic spurred the Great Resignation." | February 2022 Survey | April 29, 2022 | |
"50% highly valued a job that improved work-life balance." | Gallup's State of the American Workplace Survey | November 24, 2021 | |
"50% of workers in the U.S. would prefer access to unlimited PTO to earning a higher salary." | Harris Poll Survey | March 4, 2022 | |
"Nearly 30% of Americans with unlimited paid time-off policies "always" work on vacation." | INSIDER Survey | June 22, 2019 | |
"Respondents with unlimited PTO policies were also more likely to get sucked into work email on vacation, with 42% "always" logging in during time off." | INSIDER Survey | June 22, 2019 | |
"62% of employees with unlimited PTO reported having a good balance with work and personal life." | Joblist Survey | April 29, 2022 | |
"58% reported high satisfaction with their jobs." | Joblist Survey | April 29, 2022 | |
"70% of employees ranked flexible work hours as very important." | Justworks Survey | February 6, 2017 | |
"While 44% of employers believe unlimited PTO if important, only 21% believe it has a positive impact on their team’s performance." | Justworks Survey | February 6, 2017 | |
"72% of workers showed interest in working under an unlimited PTO policy." | MetLife study | November 24, 2021 | |
"72% of the surveyed employees said this was a benefit that interested them – ahead of wellness programs, phased retirement and paid sabbaticals." | MetLife Survey | June 14, 2022 | |
" In fact, 72% of employees want unlimited PTO." | MetLife’s 2019 Benefit Trends Survey | March 21, 2022 | |
"In fact, 37% of employees do not use all of their PTO each year." | MetLife’s 2019 Benefit Trends Survey | March 21, 2022 | |
"1% of the companies they surveyed offered unlimited PTO." | SHRM Survey | June 14, 2022 | |
"Between May 2015 and May 2019, US job postings that offered unlimited PTO rose 178%." | SHRM Survey | June 14, 2022 | |
"Between 2017 and 2018, UK jobs boards saw increases between 10-20% of listings offering unlimited PTO." | SHRM Survey | June 14, 2022 | |
"Yet non-tech jobs offering unlimited vacation rose from 61% in May 2015 to 65% in May 2019." | SHRM Survey | June 14, 2022 | |
"Only 6% of the employers provided paid open or unlimited PTO." | SHRM Survey | December. 5, 2021 | |
"Specifically, 67% of private-sector employers offered a PTO bank system that covers both vacation and sick time." | SHRM Survey | December. 5, 2021 | |
"Consequently, 26% of Americans have no access to paid leave." | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018 | March 24, 2022 | |
"Only 21% of Millennials use 10–19 of their PTO days." | US Travel Survey | June 27, 2022 | |
"97% of insurance company employees have access to PTO." | Wbay Survey | June 27, 2022 | |
"While the amount of PTO they get is the same as for insurance workers, those working in the finance sector have slightly more limited access to paid time off, at 95% of the workforce." | Wbay Survey | June 27, 2022 | |
"Those who work at hotels, casinos, restaurants, and other leisure facilities, only 43% of them have access to PTO." | Wbay Survey | June 27, 2022 | |
"However, more than half of American workers (55%) end up not using all of their PTO." | Zippia Survey | June 27, 2022 | |
"31% of US workers don’t have PTO." | Zippia Survey | June 27, 2022 | |
"74% of employees choose better earnings over getting more paid time off." | Zippia Survey | June 27, 2022 | |
"Around 54% of those who have access to PTO use sick days to improve their mental health." | Zippia Survey | June 27, 2022 | |
"Only 9% of employees enjoy unlimited PTO." | Zippia Survey | June 27, 2022 | |
"68% of employees are happier at work because their employers encourage taking PTO." | Zippia Survey | June 27, 2022 | |
"31% of US workers do not have paid time off." | Zippia Survey | June 27, 2022 | |
"Only 21% of Millennials use 10–19 of their days off." | Zippia Survey | June 27, 2022 | |
"74% of workers say they would rather receive more money than more PTO days." | Zippia Survey | June 27, 2022 | |
"10 days is the average PTO in the United States private sector, not including paid holidays and sick days." | Zippia Survey | December. 5, 2021 | |
"55% of Americans don’t use all of their paid time off." | Zippia Survey | December. 5, 2021 | |
"American workers failed to use 768 million days of PTO in 2018." | Zippia Survey | December. 5, 2021 | |
"Americans left an average of 6.5 unused PTO days in 2018 — that works out to 27.2% of PTO days that employers offered." | Zippia Survey | December. 5, 2021 | |
"63% of employees said they’d turn down a job offer if it didn’t include PTO." | Zippia Survey | December. 5, 2021 | |
"28 million Americans don’t get any paid vacation or paid holidays, as the United States is the only advanced economy in the world that does not guarantee its workers paid vacation days and paid holidays." | Zippia Survey | December. 5, 2021 | |
"As much as 31% of employees do not receive paid time off." | Zippia Survey | December. 5, 2021 | |
"77% of educators said they’d prefer a raise over more PTO." | Zippia Survey | December. 5, 2021 | |
"16% of those with PTO report having an unlimited vacation policy." | Zippia Survey | December. 5, 2021 | |
"Unlimited vacation policies rose by 178% between 2015-2019, according to a study that examined job postings." | Zippia Survey | December. 5, 2021 | |
"More than half of Americans (55%) don’t use all of their paid time off." | Zippia Survey | December. 5, 2021 |
See Also: What Is Unlimited PTO & How Does It Work? | Unlimited PTO Pros & Cons: The Full Analysis | Unlimited PTO Policy Examples & Templates | Unlimited PTO Is A Trap: Do This Instead | Companies With Unlimited PTO & Remote Work
What is unlimited PTO?
Unlimited PTO stands for “unlimited paid time off.” This is a policy some companies use that allows employees to take as much vacation time as they want (or, within reason). The glass-half full idea behind this policy is to promote a culture of trust and empowerment, where employees are treated as responsible adults who can manage their own time effectively. The glass half-empty idea behind the policy is that the company no longer has to pay out for unused days off when an employee leaves.
What are the pros and cons of unlimited PTO?
Unlimited PTO sounds great on paper but it’s not a completely straightforward benefit. Here are the five pros and cons of unlimited PTO programs.
See Also: Unlimited PTO: The Complete Guide
Did we miss a key statistic about unlimited paid time off?
We went through all of the studies and surveys the internet had to offer. But I’m sure we missed a few. Want to add some to this list? Tweet @buildremote with your unlimited PTO statistic for a chance to be included.
