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%)

"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%). 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%)

Vasilopoulos added: "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."

About the research

The online surveys were developed by Robert Half and conducted by an independent research firm in December 2024 and March 2025. They include responses from 1,500 workers and 835 workers aged 18 and older across Canada, as well as 1,056 hiring managers at companies with more than 20 employees across Canada.

About Robert Half

Robert Half is the world's first and largest specialized talent solutions firm that connects opportunities at great companies with highly skilled job seekers. Offering contract and permanent placement solutions in the fields of finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, and administrative and customer support, Robert Half has more than 300 locations worldwide. Robert Half is the parent company of Protiviti®, a global consulting firm that provides internal audit, risk, business and technology consulting solutions. Robert Half, including Protiviti, has been named to the Fortune® Most Admired Companies™. Explore our comprehensive solutions, research and insights at RobertHalf.ca.





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