More workers becoming mentally exhausted by their jobs
In 2025, 20.7 per cent of employees reported recurring mental exhaustion; young women in particular reported symptoms.
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Work-related mental exhaustion is more common among Dutch employees than it was ten years ago. According to figures from CBS and TNO, more than one in five employees reported such symptoms several times a month or more often in 2025.
The figures come from the National Survey of Working Conditions. Employees aged 15 to 74 answer questions about emotional exhaustion, feeling empty at the end of the working day and fatigue, among other things. These are self-reported experiences, not a medical diagnosis.
In 2025, 20.7 per cent of employees reported mental exhaustion caused by work. According to RIVM, the figure was 13.4 per cent in 2015. Women reported symptoms more often than men: 23.5 compared with 18.0 per cent. According to RIVM, the proportion increased among both groups over the longer term.
The differences are greatest among employees aged 25 to 34. In this age group, 32.2 per cent of women and 24.3 per cent of men reported burnout symptoms at least several times a month. RIVM and CBS use the term burnout symptoms here for the measured work-related mental exhaustion.
Symptoms also vary by industry. In 2025, the percentages were highest, according to CBS and TNO, in education, information and communication, and healthcare. The proportion was lower in construction. The figures describe sector averages and do not say what caused an individual employee's symptoms.
The trend should also be interpreted with caution. CBS and RIVM report that the method was changed from 2022 onwards, meaning that figures before and from that year are not fully comparable. According to RIVM, the overall increase over the period remains visible, but the precise scale of the change is therefore harder to establish.
The new figures provide no treatment advice and say nothing about the situation of any individual employee. The results describe how often employees report symptoms, but do not explain what causes those symptoms in individual employees.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- In 2025, 20.7 per cent of employees reported recurring work-related mental exhaustion.
- The survey measures self-reported experiences, not a medical diagnosis.
- Education, information and communication, and healthcare are among the industries with the highest percentages.
Left
Arguments The increase points to structural work pressure and unequal burdens. The left will chiefly point to better employment conditions, sufficient staffing, limits on work pressure and an active role for employers and the government.
Values Equality, employee protection and public responsibility.
Consequences More regulation or investment could reduce pressure, but would bring additional costs for employers and public services.
Centre
Arguments The figures call for tailored approaches by sector and cooperation between employers, employees, occupational health services and the government. Not every complaint has the same cause.
Values Prevention, practicality and institutional cooperation.
Consequences A combination of better organisation, early detection and sectoral agreements is more obvious than a single nationwide measure.
Right
Arguments According to this approach, employers and employees themselves bear primary responsibility for organising work appropriately and setting boundaries. A uniform approach could restrict entrepreneurship and flexibility.
Values Personal responsibility, freedom of choice and a limited role for government.
Consequences Less regulation could create room for tailored solutions, but there is a risk that differences between sectors and employees will remain greater.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The percentages, age group, sectors and methodological caveat were checked against RIVM, VZinfo and CBS. The article presents the data as self-reported and avoids medical conclusions about individuals.
- confirmed In 2025, 20.7 per cent of employees reported mental exhaustion caused by work. — VZinfo and RIVM report this figure. source
- confirmed Women reported symptoms more often than men: 23.5 compared with 18.0 per cent. — VZinfo page with NEA figures. source
- confirmed Among women aged 25 to 34, the proportion was 32.2 per cent. — VZinfo reports this for 2025. source
- confirmed Figures before and from 2022 are not fully comparable because of a methodological change. — Methodological warning from CBS/RIVM. source
Editor's note
The source measures self-reported work-related mental exhaustion, not a clinical diagnosis. Because the method changed from 2022 onwards, older and more recent figures are not fully comparable.Sources
- Overspannenheid en burn-out: zelfgerapporteerd — Volksgezondheid en Zorg, RIVM
- Burn-out klachten — RIVM
- De arbeidsmarkt in cijfers 2025 — CBS
More on this in Dutch media
- De Telegraaf — „werkdruk burn-out”
- AD — „werkdruk burn-out”
- de Volkskrant — „werkdruk burn-out”