In America an employer is going to pay the same ammount of compensation hased on your skill set that they would pay anywhere . Whats happening in your situation is government mandating your particular compensation mix include a certain ammoun of vacation pay . Many Americans opt to get more financial compensation , less vacation time , more retirement matching . My mom got Healthcare from my dads employer so she opted for more pay per hour . The Employer doesn ' t necessarily care which mix of compensation their employees get within reason it can all be negotiated ahead of tim . But American value their individuality and choice and their ability to negotiate directly with HR recruitment . They don ' t need the force of government to bring a gun to the table and negotiate for them .