B2 News Business Culture & Trends · May 21, 2026

Burnout is increasing, while employee confidence is at a record low, research shows

Burnout is up 65% year-over-year as employee confidence hits an all-time record low.

Reading level

Switch if this feels too hard or too easy.

Burnout is rising fast — and worker confidence has hit a record low. That's the headline finding from Glassdoor's latest research, which shows burnout rates are up 65% year-over-year. Workers mentioned burnout 2.5 times more in their Glassdoor reviews in early 2026 than they did before the pandemic. And when they do mention it, they're 76% less likely to give their job a positive rating overall.

The numbers behind those reviews are striking. Workplace reviews that mentioned burnout were 81% less likely to offer a positive rating for work-life balance than their colleagues, 78% less likely to recommend their company to friends, and 75% less likely to approve of the CEO's job performance. In other words, burnout doesn't just affect how people feel — it poisons how they see everything at work.

Employee confidence is in equally bad shape. Only 43.8% of workers reported a positive six-month business outlook, a record low. Workers are citing the U.S.–Iran conflict and the resulting surge in energy prices as key drivers of their declining confidence. The technology sector took the biggest hit, posting a 9.7 percentage point drop in confidence year-over-year. Hotels, travel, and logistics companies also saw steep declines — all sectors sensitive to fuel costs.

Here's the twist though: many burned-out workers are choosing to stay in their jobs due to a sluggish job market. In 2025, burned-out employees applied for 45% fewer external jobs than employees who gave positive reviews. A weak hiring environment means people are enduring chronic stress rather than looking for an exit.

It's not all doom and gloom. The proportion of 4- or 5-star reviews that cited burnout actually rose 35% from 2024 to 2025 — suggesting some workers acknowledge the pressure but still find value in their roles. Still, with burnout highest in healthcare, nonprofits, media, and tech, employers have a real problem on their hands — and not one they can fix by lowering fuel prices.

Read original ↗ Print / PDF

Get more from every article

Highlight any word or phrase for an explanation or translation, save vocabulary, and bookmark articles.

Sign up free Log in

📚 Key vocabulary

burnout (noun)
a state of physical and mental exhaustion caused by long-term, unmanageable stress at work
"The company introduced wellness programmes after a staff survey revealed widespread burnout among project managers."
sluggish (adj)
slow-moving and lacking energy or activity — used to describe markets or economies that are not performing well
"Recruitment slowed significantly during the sluggish economy of the post-pandemic years."
confidence (noun)
a feeling of trust or optimism about the future, especially regarding business or economic conditions
"Employee confidence in the company's direction improved after the new leadership team was announced."
chronic (adj)
continuing for a long time and difficult to resolve — used to describe persistent problems or conditions
"Chronic understaffing in the department led to high turnover and declining performance reviews."
steep (adj)
very large or sudden — used to describe a sharp increase or decrease in numbers or prices
"The company reported a steep decline in customer satisfaction scores following the product recall."

✨ Useful phrases for this topic

"poisons how they see everything at work"
Use this phrase when explaining how one negative factor spreads and affects a person's entire attitude toward their job or workplace.
"A lack of recognition from management can poison how employees see everything at work, from their daily tasks to their long-term career goals."
"enduring chronic stress rather than looking for an exit"
Use this phrase to describe a situation where people put up with difficult conditions instead of making a change, usually because their options are limited.
"With few vacancies in the sector, many junior doctors were enduring chronic stress rather than looking for an exit."
"have a real problem on their hands"
Use this phrase to signal that a person or organisation is facing a serious issue that requires urgent attention.
"After three senior engineers resigned in one month, the CTO knew the team had a real problem on their hands."

Advanced sentence structures

Patterns from this article you can use in meetings, emails, and everyday English

Structure 1

In context

Workplace reviews that mentioned burnout were 81% less likely to offer a positive rating for work-life balance than their colleagues, 78% less likely to recommend their company to friends and 75% less likely to approve of the CEO's job performance.

The skeleton

Frame: [Group] were [X%] less likely to [do something] than [comparison group].

What it does: Compares two groups by showing how much less often one group does something.

Quick swap: "Students in the evening class were 40% less likely to complete assignments on time than morning students."

More examples

  • "Remote employees were 30% less likely to receive a promotion than those working in the office."
  • "Patients who skipped follow-up appointments were 55% less likely to recover fully than those who attended all sessions."
  • "Shoppers who used a list were 25% less likely to make impulse purchases than those who shopped without one."

Easy exercise

Arrange the words and add the missing structural elements to build a correct sentence.

  1. burned-out workers · 45% · external jobs · apply for · other employees · than
  2. new drivers · 60% · highway routes · use · experienced drivers · than
Show answers
  • "Burned-out workers were 45% less likely to apply for external jobs than other employees."
  • "New drivers were 60% less likely to use highway routes than experienced drivers."

Open exercise

Write your own sentence using this structure. You can write about anything — here are some ideas if you need them:

  • Employee wellbeing or workplace habits
  • How training or experience affects performance at work
  • A difference you have noticed between two groups of people in daily life

One possible answer: "Employees who took regular breaks were 35% less likely to make errors than those who worked straight through the day."

Structure 2

In context

Many burned out workers are choosing to stay in their jobs due to a sluggish job market, per the research, which found that in 2025, burned out employees applied for 45% fewer external jobs than other employees.

The skeleton

Frame: [Subject] [verb phrase], due to [noun phrase explaining the reason].

What it does: Attaches a concise, formal reason to a situation using a noun phrase rather than a full clause.

Quick swap: "Many small businesses are cutting staff, due to rising operating costs."

More examples

  • "Several flights were cancelled, due to severe weather conditions across the region."
  • "The project was delayed by three months, due to a shortage of qualified engineers."
  • "Many residents are struggling to heat their homes, due to an unexpected spike in energy prices."

Easy exercise

Arrange the words and add the missing structural elements to build a correct sentence.

  1. employee confidence · fallen · economic uncertainty · the technology sector · in
  2. the meeting · rescheduled · a last-minute conflict · the team leader's · was
Show answers
  • "Employee confidence has fallen in the technology sector, due to economic uncertainty."
  • "The meeting was rescheduled, due to a last-minute conflict in the team leader's schedule."

Open exercise

Write your own sentence using this structure. You can write about anything — here are some ideas if you need them:

  • A challenge your industry or company is currently facing
  • A change in your daily routine or commute
  • A decision a friend, family member, or colleague has made recently

One possible answer: "Many young professionals are moving to smaller cities, due to a sharp increase in urban housing costs."

💬 Discussion questions

1

Have you ever experienced burnout — or seen it in a colleague? What were the signs, and what caused it?

2

The research shows that burned-out workers are staying in jobs they dislike because the job market is weak. Is it ever better to stay in a stressful job than to leave, and where do you draw the line?

3

If you were an HR manager and burnout rates in your company suddenly jumped, what would be the first two or three things you would change — and why?

What to Read Next

More lessons in Business Culture & Trends

B2 Leadership & Management

Being 'Always Available' Can Damage Productivity

Always being available feels professional, but it quietly destroys focus, health, and real productivity.
B2 Leadership & Management

Are You Having Too Many One-on-Ones ?

One-on-one meetings help managers but can fragment organizations when overused at the executive level.
B2 Finance & Economics

What is the Circular Economy ?

The circular economy replaces 'make, use, throw away' with a system where materials stay in use as long as possible.