Royal Wedding to Cost UK Economy $7.9 Billion

Employers fear workers will take entire week off
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 24, 2010 4:08 AM CST
Updated Nov 24, 2010 5:40 AM CST
Royal Wedding to Cost UK Economy $7.9 Billion
Mug sales won't be enough to offset lost productivity, business groups warn.   (AP Photo/Tim Hales)

Good news for the British: They'll be getting an extra day off to celebrate the royal wedding next year. The bad news: That extra day off will cost the country $7.9 billion, according to calculations by the Telegraph. Business groups expect the day off to result in $9.48 billion in lost productivity, which will be offset by some $1.6 billion in extra spending by tourists and in sales of memorabilia.

The extra day comes the week after Easter, giving employees a 3-day work week. Employers fear many workers might call in sick for the entire week. "There will be a real temptation to not bother going into work that week. It could see many businesses just shut down," says the chief of Britain's Federation of Small Businesses. "There is a real risk we are turning into France when we just put down tools for weeks at a time." Click here to see how much the wedding itself is expected to cost.
(More Prince William wedding stories.)

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