New research from talent solutions and business consulting firm Robert Half reveals a growing strain on today’s workers. According to a survey of 1,500 professionals across Canada, 47 per cent report feeling burned out and 31 per cent indicate they are more burned out now than they were the year prior. In 2024, Robert Half reported 42 per cent of workers were experiencing burnout, while in 2023 the number was 33 per cent.
The top factors contributing to burnout:
- Heavy workloads and long hours (39%)
- Emotional or mental fatigue from high-stress tasks (38%)
- Insufficient work-life balance (28%)
- Lack of management support or recognition (28%)
- Lack of professional growth opportunities (28%)
Those who report the highest burnout levels are:
- Professionals in the legal and HR fields (59%)
- Working parents (51%)
- Millennial professionals (50%)
Koula Vasilopoulos
“In addition to being an increasingly worrying issue for professionals, burnout is a major challenge for employers as well,” said Koula Vasilopoulos, Senior Managing Director, Robert Half, Canada. “When employees are burned out due to heavy workloads and understaffed teams, businesses risk decreased productivity and morale, losing valued team members, and revenue loss due to falling behind on key timelines for critical projects.”
Countering workplace burnout
Burnout isn’t just affecting workers—it’s also impacting businesses. The heavy workloads cited by workers as the top driver of burnout are in part a consequence of longer hiring cycles. According to a separate survey of more than 1,050 managers, 39 per cent said burnout among existing staff is a major challenge they face when unable to fill a necessary role. Other repercussions they report facing are decreased productivity (40%), delayed project timelines (34%), higher turnover (30%), and lost revenue (24%), said the report.
To combat burnout culture, workers indicated the best ways their manager can help:
- Encourage time off and/or mental health days (34%)
- Hire permanent or contract professionals to ease workloads (33%)
- Help prioritize projects and manage timelines (30%)
“As burnout continues to rise, managers need to be proactively mitigating it, by working to fill gaps on the team, embracing flexible staffing solutions, encouraging time off, prioritizing workloads, and maintaining open communication about employee wellbeing,” added Vasilopoulos.
Mario Toneguzzi
Mario Toneguzzi is Managing Editor of Canada’s Entrepreneur. He has more than 40 years of experience as a daily newspaper writer, columnist, and editor. He was named in 2021 and 2024 as one of the top business journalists in the world by PR News. He was also named by RETHINK to its global list of Top Retail Experts 2024, 2025 and 2026.
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