Residents of Latvia Take Vacation Least Often in February. When Do They Take It Most Often?

Summer has traditionally been the favorite time for vacations and retains its appeal in the eyes of employees, even despite cool and rainy periods, as well as the wide opportunities to travel to warm southern countries at other times of the year. But in which month do employees of Latvian enterprises and institutions not want to take a vacation at all? It is February.

Data entered by users into the business management and accounting system Jumis indicates that in 2025, the least number of vacations were taken in the second month of the year, with vacations in February also being the shortest — averaging 3.8 days.

A similar trend continues this year. Although the cold, snowy weather in February 2026 prompted employees to take significantly more vacations than the previous year, extending them on average to 5 calendar days, possibly to enjoy winter delights or seek a warmer climate in the south, people took less time off in February than in all other months of the first trimester.

As usual, last year employees took the longest vacations in June, July, and August, however, the highest proportion of vacations was recorded in December. The New Year holiday has become a classic in the business environment. Six days off in December plus four in January, along with Christmas and New Year celebrations, allow for more than two weeks of vacation.

Despite the fact that summer vacations remain extremely popular, there is a trend towards reducing their duration. Currently, only a few employees request continuous vacations lasting two, three, or four weeks. In most cases, vacation days are "broken up" into weekly periods and spread over several months and even seasons.

The longest vacations occur in July, but their average duration is only 8 days. In the cool and rainy June of last year, employees took an average of 7.4 days off, while in August, it was 7 days. Unusually long weekends were observed in April — 6.8 days. However, this is related to the late Easter last year, on April 20. By taking vacation between the four days off for Easter and Labor Day on May 1, one could achieve a two-week break.

"Looking at the vacation statistics, it is clear that the choice of days off for most employees is no longer emotional or random. Very often, it is a rational calculation that allows for the longest possible period of rest with minimal use of vacation days. Taking vacations between New Year’s, Easter, and other holidays has become a very popular practice. For example, in November of last year, which is not particularly attractive for vacations due to climate conditions, the second largest number of vacations was taken. On average, only four days off were used, but this was enough, in combination with November 18, to achieve a 9-day vacation," shares Viesturs Slaidinsh, head of Jumis Pro.

From the vacations already taken in 2026, it can be seen that the greatest interest was in taking time off in the very first days right after the New Year, as well as during the school holiday week in March. In the other months, the statistics were very similar in both the number and duration of vacations — 5 calendar days.