New research from Future Forum found that burnout from workplace stress is at an all-time high since the spring of 2021.
They polled 10,243 full-time desk-based workers (in the US and UK) and over 40% say they’re burned out.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines burnout as an increased mental distance from one’s job, feelings of energy depletion and negativism.
42% is a new record since Future Forum began collecting data in May 2021. At that point, 38% of workers reported burnout.
But there are two demographics at the highest risk for burnout: women, and workers under 30.
H48% of 18-to-29-year-old workers said they feel drained, in comparison with 40% of their peers over 30.
46% of women reported higher levels of burnout than men, who came in at 37%.
Intersecting stressors of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic uncertainty have hit those who are starting out in life and those who are often the most responsible for managing household duties the hardest.
Workers under 30 are likely to also be dealing with the fear of layoffs since they are often newer and less experienced, making them targets for first-round job cuts.
And women have been reporting burnout at a higher rate than men for years. The gap has more than doubled since 2019, according to Gallup.
Women are less likely to be promoted than men according to research, yet more likely to head single-parent families and take on unpaid labor. Women are also more likely to work in low-paid jobs, including things like health care and eldercare, which have become extraordinarily stressful after the pandemic.
Lack of affordable childcare often forces women, not men, to quit their jobs as well. This means less career continuity and more financial uncertainty. It took men two years to recoup their pre-pandemic job losses. But it took women three years.
Debbie Sorensen, a Denver-based psychologist, explains, “We haven’t had time to recover from the trauma of what we’ve been through the last few years. Women and young people, in particular, are putting an immense amount of pressure on themselves to keep going, keep working, no matter the cost.”
