Colombia leads world in public holidays

By Joshua Goodman

BOGOTA, August 1 (Associated Press) - Looking to get more time off? Move to Colombia. Renowned for its war on drugs, paramilitaries, and guerrillas movements, this Andean nation also leads the world in public holidays with 18 each year. Second-place Slovenia has 16, while Slovakia, Cyprus and Chile have 15 each, according to a new study by Mercer Human Resource Consulting, which advises businesses in 42 countries. The United States has 10 federal holidays.

As overworked Americans bemoan their shrinking leisure time, a month rarely passes in Colombia without a three-day weekend.

Most of the holidays -- mandatory for both public and private-sector employees -- pay homage to Roman Catholic saints. But don't ask Colombians which ones. Most are blissfully ignorant of what allows them to pack their car trunks for the beach or mountains for yet another "puente," Spanish for "bridge" and Colombian for three-day weekend.

So much loafing around takes a toll on the economy. Every June, which can cram in as many as three "puentes" depending on the year, factory and business output ebbs even while workers continue to collect their regular pay. "There's no doubt this crushes productivity and increases costs for business," said Juan Carlos Echeverry, an economics professor at Andes University in Bogota. "But maybe it's the reason in survey after survey Colombians are always rated among the happiest people in the world."