The number of working days in a month is the total number of days less the number of weekend days and national holidays. The change in total working days can explain part of the year-on-year change in deliveries, particularly for transport fuels. In some countries, such as France, national holidays are fixed on a particular date rather than a day of the week and the holiday is lost if it occurs at the weekend (or on Sundays in Japan). In other countries such as the US or UK, national holidays are fixed to a particular day in the month. National holidays at Easter can occur in March or April, significantly affecting the annual change in total working days in these months.

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