The risk of burnout increased among working Belgians between 2022 and 2023, a study of almost 35,000 staff and published by workplace prevention and protection service Idewe has revealed.
Almost one in six workers (15.5%) were at high risk of burnout in 2023 – up from one in ten (10.8%) in 2014. This represents a 40% increase across the decade.
Those suffering from "significant emotional exhaustion" rose from 22.8% to 30.8%. Workers exhibiting a "high degree of distancing" (questioning their job’s value or experiencing declining enthusiasm for their work) increased from 14.7% to 21.6%. "Significant stress" also increased from 2020, though specific figures for earlier years aren’t available.
Meanwhile, this increase in "malaise" had no noticeable impact on job satisfaction rates. Eight in ten workers (81.8% in 2023 – up from 80.3% in 2014) stated they were "very" to "fairly" satisfied. Seven in ten (69.3% in 2023, down slightly from 69.8% in 2014) expressed a high intention to stay in their jobs.
Idewe CEO Lode Godderis, who is a professor of occupational health at KU Leuven, explained that job satisfaction relates directly to the perceived meaningfulness of the job, buffering against the desire to quit. He added that increased job insecurity discourages employees from resigning, even amidst high stress levels.
