Statistics 2025: Understanding Workplace Stress

Top 5 drivers of Gen z burnout in 2025

Financial Fragility & "Hustle" Culture:
Student Debt & Housing: High living costs and housing consume a disproportionate share of income for early-career workers.
Side Hustles: 55% of Gen Z workers are considering or already working a second job to make ends meet, leading to chronic exhaustion.
Unpaid Overtime: 48% report high stress from regularly working uncompensated extra hours to survive the cost-of-living crisis.

Digital Fatigue & Inability to Disconnect:
Always-On Expectation: Only 33% of Gen Z workers feel they can successfully "switch off" from work, compared to 46% of workers over 55.
Technostress: Constant connectivity via Slack, Teams, and email, coupled with social media comparison, creates a "performance pressure" that never ends.

Isolation & Lack of Mentorship:
Pandemic Legacy: Many entered the workforce remotely, missing out on informal learning and team camaraderie.
Social Disconnection: 38% of workers aged 16–24 report feeling lonely at work, a rate three times higher than Baby Boomers.

The "Values Gap":
Ethics over Pay: 87% would consider leaving a job if an employer’s values (e.g., climate action, social justice) did not align with their own.
Disillusionment: A significant mismatch exists between their expectation that education leads to stable, well-paying roles and the reality of a precarious labor market.

AI & Future Uncertainty:
Job Security: 60% fear AI will reduce job opportunities in their field, leading many to feel they must constantly upskill just to remain employable.
Structural Mismatch: Burnout often occurs because current management styles (focusing on transactional tasks) fail to provide the mentorship and purpose Gen Z seeks.