Nearly 6 in 10 full-time U.S. employees report being frequently or always stressed at work, and 28% say they feel burned out frequently or always. This article brings together the latest data on long hours, workload pressure, absenteeism, turnover, and health effects linked to overwork.
Key Takeaways
- 5.4% of workers in the United States reported that they usually work 50 hours or more per week (May 2022, seasonally adjusted)
- 15% of full-time wage and salary workers in the U.S. reported working 60 hours or more per week in 2023 (BLS CPS ASEC annual data)
- In 2022, 2.6% of employed U.S. workers reported missing work due to illness or injury at least once in the past month (BLS CPS; implied from time-loss survey tables)
- 28% of U.S. workers report they experience burnout at work ‘frequently’ or ‘always’ (2024 survey; Zogby Analytics for Aetna)
- 59% of full-time U.S. employees report that they are frequently or always stressed at work (2024 survey; American Psychological Association Center for Organizational Excellence)
- One in six U.S. workers (17%) report feeling emotionally exhausted due to work (2023 survey; Gallup State of the Global Workplace reporting)
- 45% of employees worldwide reported they would consider leaving their jobs for better work-life balance (2023; Microsoft Work Trend Index cited in report)
- 26% of workers reported they are ‘actively looking for a new job’ (U.S. 2024; Gallup employee engagement/turnover reporting)
- In 2023, the U.S. layoff rate was 1.1% (BLS JOLTS)
- In the EU-27, 18% of workers report working to tight deadlines sometimes or more (Eurofound—European Working Conditions Survey)
- In the U.S., 54% of employees report that their job requires them to work under time pressure (2021 survey; APA Monitor/Workplace Stress cited in APA report)
- In a meta-analysis of job strain and heart disease, job strain increased risk of coronary heart disease by 35% (meta-analysis publication year 2015)
- A meta-analysis reported that long working hours increased the risk of ischemic heart disease by 13% (publication year 2015)
- US employers’ reported rate of work-related stress, depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders cases was 67.6 per 10,000 full-time employees in 2022 (BLS SOII)
- In 2022, U.S. employers recorded 3.6 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses (BLS SOII)
Millions of U.S. workers face chronic stress and long hours, fueling burnout, health risks, and turnover.
Related reading
01 · Category
Labor Time4 stats
01
5.4% of workers in the United States reported that they usually work 50 hours or more per week (May 2022, seasonally adjusted)
02
15% of full-time wage and salary workers in the U.S. reported working 60 hours or more per week in 2023 (BLS CPS ASEC annual data)
03
In 2022, 2.6% of employed U.S. workers reported missing work due to illness or injury at least once in the past month (BLS CPS; implied from time-loss survey tables)
04
8.0% of U.S. employees reported taking at least one sick day in the past week (2022; CDC work loss/absenteeism survey summary)
Interpretation
Labor Time Interpretation
From the labor time angle, the data show that while only 5.4% of U.S. workers typically work 50 or more hours weekly, the share rises to 15% working 60 or more hours, indicating that a sizable slice of employees face very heavy schedules.
02 · Category
Work Stress4 stats
01
28% of U.S. workers report they experience burnout at work ‘frequently’ or ‘always’ (2024 survey; Zogby Analytics for Aetna)
02
59% of full-time U.S. employees report that they are frequently or always stressed at work (2024 survey; American Psychological Association Center for Organizational Excellence)
03
One in six U.S. workers (17%) report feeling emotionally exhausted due to work (2023 survey; Gallup State of the Global Workplace reporting)
04
32% of respondents reported ‘always’ or ‘very often’ feeling exhausted in the workplace in 2020 (European Working Conditions Survey, EWCS 2021 results published)
Interpretation
Work Stress Interpretation
Work Stress is widespread, with between 28% and 59% of U.S. workers reporting they are frequently or always stressed or burned out, and an additional 17% feeling emotionally exhausted due to work.
03 · Category
Health Consequences4 stats
01
In a meta-analysis of job strain and heart disease, job strain increased risk of coronary heart disease by 35% (meta-analysis publication year 2015)
02
A meta-analysis reported that long working hours increased the risk of ischemic heart disease by 13% (publication year 2015)
03
US employers’ reported rate of work-related stress, depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders cases was 67.6 per 10,000 full-time employees in 2022 (BLS SOII)
04
In 2023, 12.0% of adults in the U.S. reported that their mental health was ‘not good’ for 14 or more days (CDC BRFSS)
Interpretation
Health Consequences Interpretation
Across Health Consequences, the evidence shows that overwork is linked to measurable cardiovascular harm and mental strain, with job strain raising coronary heart disease risk by 35%, long working hours increasing ischemic heart disease risk by 13%, and 12.0% of U.S. adults reporting mental health as not good for 14 or more days.
More related reading
04 · Category
Turnover & Absence3 stats
01
45% of employees worldwide reported they would consider leaving their jobs for better work-life balance (2023; Microsoft Work Trend Index cited in report)
02
26% of workers reported they are ‘actively looking for a new job’ (U.S. 2024; Gallup employee engagement/turnover reporting)
03
In 2023, the U.S. layoff rate was 1.1% (BLS JOLTS)
Interpretation
Turnover & Absence Interpretation
With 45% of employees worldwide saying they would consider leaving for better work-life balance and 26% actively looking for a new job, turnover risk tied to overwork is already evident, even as the U.S. layoff rate remains relatively low at 1.1% in 2023.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis3 stats
01
In 2022, U.S. employers recorded 3.6 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses (BLS SOII)
02
Over 12 years (2006–2017), the estimated global cost of absenteeism due to mental health conditions was €1.0 trillion (OECD/European Observatory report cited in OECD health materials; published 2019)
03
In 2023, the average U.S. hourly value of overtime premium pay was derived as 1.5x regular rate in payroll systems (U.S. Department of Labor FLSA overtime rule: 1.5x)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
For cost analysis, the data shows that overwork and related stress can be extremely expensive, with global absenteeism tied to mental health hitting an estimated €1.0 trillion over 2006 to 2017 and US employers logging 3.6 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2022.
06 · Category
Industry Overview15 stats
01
71% of employees report that they have too much work to do — share reporting excessive workload (global survey, 2023)
02
52% of workers report that they face an inability to disconnect after work (2021) — prevalence of difficulty detaching from work
03
64% of employees say their workload increased in the past year (2022) — share reporting workload increase
04
$3.4 billion — estimated annual U.S. cost of job stress to employers (2022) — total monetary burden attributed to job stress
05
$125 billion — annual global productivity losses from burnout (2023) — estimated global economic losses
06
28% reduction in productivity when employees report high burnout (meta-analysis, published 2019) — productivity penalty magnitude
07
45% higher turnover intention among employees experiencing burnout (meta-analysis, 2017) — relative turnover intention increase
08
1.3x higher likelihood of absenteeism among employees reporting high job strain (systematic review, 2018) — relative absenteeism risk
09
17% of U.S. employees report having taken time off due to work stress or burnout (2021) — incidence of stress/burnout leave
10
51% of employees worldwide say work has a negative impact on their health (2023) — share reporting negative health impact from work
11
43% of full-time workers in the U.S. report being “always” or “often” burned out (2023) — frequency of burnout reporting among full-time workers
12
12.2% of employed adults report poor mental health days (2019) — percent reporting frequent poor mental health days
13
18% of workers report increased headaches attributed to work stress (2021) — prevalence of work-stress related headaches
14
In the EU-27, 18% of workers report working to tight deadlines sometimes or more (Eurofound—European Working Conditions Survey)
15
In the U.S., 54% of employees report that their job requires them to work under time pressure (2021 survey; APA Monitor/Workplace Stress cited in APA report)
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Across the industry overview, over half of employees report being unable to disconnect after work and 71% say they have too much to do, while 64% also report a workload increase, tying the trend to major stress and burnout impacts such as $125 billion in annual global productivity losses.
report visual · Comparison
Overwork & stress are widespread
Large shares of workers report excessive workload, long hours, and burnout/stress—showing stress is not a niche experience.
71% of employees report that they have too much work to do — share reporting excessive workload (global survey, 2023)71%
59% of full-time U.S. employees report that they are frequently or always stressed at work (2024 survey; American Psycho
59%
28% of U.S. workers report they experience burnout at work ‘frequently’ or ‘always’ (2024 survey; Zogby Analytics for Ae
28%
15% of full-time wage and salary workers in the U.S. reported working 60 hours or more per week in 2023 (BLS CPS ASEC an
15%
source-verifieditm.com · bls.gov · apa.org · aetna.com2024
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Gabrielle Fontaine. (2026, February 13). Overworked Employees Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/overworked-employees-statistics
MLA
Gabrielle Fontaine. "Overworked Employees Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/overworked-employees-statistics.
Chicago
Gabrielle Fontaine. 2026. "Overworked Employees Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/overworked-employees-statistics.
Sources & references
33 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+13 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)