Ireland is the worst country in Europe for paid leave and unemployment pay, says a new research report based on OECD and Eures data. But our system does do well on maternity leave, with one of the lengthiest allowances for time off work.

Maternity leave in Ireland is generous at a total of 42 weeks. Twenty six weeks out of the 42 are paid at a flat rate of €230 per week, unrelated to salary or wages. There is no provision for paid paternity leave.

Glassdoor Economic Research worked with Llewellyn Consulting to produce the 14-page report, which throws up statistical gems such as Spain topping the paid holidays league at 36 days per year. Ireland’s total is 29, made up of 20 days leave and nine public holidays.

The European countries that provide the most generous overall labour market social benefits are Denmark, France, and Spain. These countries offer the most maternity pay, paternity pay, annual leave and sick pay.

Ireland, Switzerland, and the UK are at the other end of the spectrum, and are closely followed by the US which is included as a benchmark.

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Glassdoor claims that Ireland  has the least generous provision for paternity leave and pay. The Glassdoor report covers 15 countries and examines five social policies: maternity and paternity leave; general parental leave; paid holiday allowance; paid sick leave; and unemployment benefits.