Roughly a third (29 per cent) of Canadian employees say they used all of their vacation time in 2022, a slight improvement from 2021 (27 per cent), but well below 2019 (48 per cent), according to a new survey by Maru Public Opinion for ADP Canada Co.

The survey, which polled more than 800 Canadian workers, found a third (31 per cent) of respondents said they didn’t work any extra hours before or after taking a one-week vacation.

However, employees who did work extra time invested an average of 20 additional hours to prepare before and after their vacation, representing a one-hour decrease from last year and 14 fewer hours compared to the 2020 average.

Read: Just 27% of Canadians taking all allotted vacation time in 2021: survey

Meanwhile, more than two-thirds (69 per cent) of respondents said they won’t be travelling during the holiday season, a decrease of seven per cent from last year. More than half (56 per cent) said current inflation levels played a role in their holiday travel plans.

“It’s important for employers to acknowledge that vacation levels continue to fall below pre-pandemic levels and external factors can impact Canadians’ ability to take time off,” said Heather Haslam, ADP Canada’s vice-president of marketing, in a press release. “Organizations that can help workers prioritize healthy work-life habits may contribute to increasing engagement and employee retention levels.”

Read: Many Canadians working extra hours to offset vacation time: survey