Career-related burnout dominant among Americans: Study

Published Sep 08, 2024  •  Last updated 4 minutes ago  •  2 minute read

Four in 10 Americans are suffering from burnout at their job, according to career networking site LinkedIn, which surveyed more than 16,000 U.S. workers earlier this year. Photo by iStock /GETTY IMAGES

Feeling burned out is a full-time job!

Article content

And a new survey agrees. Four out of 10 Americans suffer from burnout at their job, according to career networking site, LinkedIn, which surveyed more than 16,000 U.S. workers earlier this year.

Canadians were not part of this survey.

Five careers lead the way when it comes to that feeling of being overburdened.

Project manager is the occupation where most were likely to suffer from feeling overworked, according to the survey, with 50% confessing to burnout, per the New York Post.

Social service and community workers were next at 48% while those in quality assurance jobs came in at 47%.

Teachers and others in education closed out the top five at 45%.

Burnout is about more than just too much work and too long hours, one expert said.

Article content

“I work with a lot of project managers, and the most common concern I hear from them is that they just don’t have adequate support or recognition to match the changing demands they face in their roles,” Kandi Wiens, author of recently published Burnout Immunity, told CNBC, per the Post.

Recommended video

Some factors included tech pivots, difficult deadlines, unresponsive or apathetic clients holding up important decisions, and launch-related issues.

Health care, education and public-service jobs are noted as being “emotionally taxing,” Wiens said.

“When you’re in a caring profession, you’re dealing with a lot of difficult, sensitive situations, some of which could have serious consequences for a child or patient’s well-being … that can get exhausting, fast,” she said.

Recommended from Editorial

1. 

   'GETTING WORSE': Trudeau Liberals blamed for latest line of desperate workers in Toronto

2. 

   Study says Canadian health-care pros most likely to call in sick

Project management (not a project manager) leads the way among professions where burnout is far less of a risk. Just 37% of those employed in the role said they’re struggling, according to LinkedIn, and the same percentage was found for media workers.

Real estate, consulting, and business development were all found to be the least taxing — with only 33% in each field registering displeasure.

Article content