Mercer, a human resources consulting business, ranks nations according to how many holidays they entitle workers to.

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Germany is among more than two dozen industrialized countries -- from Australia to Slovenia to Japan -- that require employers to offer four weeks or more of paid vacation to their workers, according to a 2009 study by the human resources consulting company Mercer.

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Still, Tokyo is the world's most expensive city for expatriates to live in, according to international human-resources consulting firm Mercer.

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In a similar survey last summer by human-resources-consulting firm Mercer, Singapore surpassed Hong Kong for the first time in the cost of living.

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