US workers are missing out on a substantial amount of their vacation days because of job fears and pressures, according to a new survey.

Research from New York employment and outsourcing company Hudson found that 56 per cent fail to take their full vacation entitlement.

Around 30 per cent of employees use less than half of the time they are allowed to take off for a vacation, with one in five saying they opt for extended weekends rather than longer breaks.

Nearly a third have less than a week of their vacation per year, while 13 per cent received more than five weeks, the study shows.

Peg Buchenroth, senior vice president of human resources at Hudson, said that workers may not take their allotted vacation because corporate downsizing means they feel they have to work harder to keep their jobs.

As well as job security, she cited having too much work or a working environment not conducive to vacations as reasons for US employees not taking their full entitlement.

Ms Buchenroth said: “Employers are taking notice of the demands of workers who want a work-life balance that allows them to have a personal life alongside their professional one.

“Providing a flexible approach to the employees’ lives outside work is going to help employers retain key individuals who do not feel as if they have to choose one or the other.”

However long you’re planning on going away for, make sure you have the best travel insurance available.