The data comes from the European Commission’s latest report on working conditions and job stability, which is carried out every five years and was published in April. The survey also measures physical fatigue, with Albanian workers complaining less than in other European countries, with 26% saying they are always or constantly physically tired.
At this level, Albania is among the bottom 10 in Europe, lower than the EU average of 28%, and far below the levels of Montenegro (38%), North Macedonia (35%), Kosovo (34%), Serbia (30%), and Bosnia (29%).
The survey asked respondents in Europe whether they felt physically exhausted at the end of the working day and whether work left them emotionally drained. These are considered some of the symptoms of “burnout” (physical and emotional exhaustion from work, which occurs after a long period of stress and high workload). As for emotional exhaustion, 3% of workers in the EU report that they always feel emotionally drained from work, 10% most of the time, 28% sometimes, 30% rarely and 29% never. Again, women are more likely than men to experience this always or most of the time, 15% versus 12%.
Ongoing emotional exhaustion is most prevalent among plant and machinery technicians and operators, at 15%. By sector, education at 18% and healthcare at 17% have the highest percentages of affected workers. Employed workers report emotional exhaustion more often than the self-employed, 14% versus 11%. In a cross-country comparison, the highest percentage of workers who feel always or most of the time emotionally exhausted is recorded in Cyprus, at 36%, while the lowest is in the Netherlands, at 6%. Across the EU, 8% of workers say they always feel physically exhausted at the end of the working day, 20% most of the time, 39% sometimes, 22% rarely and 10% never.
Women are more likely than men to report physical exhaustion always or most of the time, 30% versus 26%, respectively.
By occupation, the proportion of employees who feel physically exhausted most of the time or always ranges from 20% of administrative workers to 37% of skilled workers in agriculture. By sector, the highest percentages are recorded in health and agriculture, both at 35%. Large differences also appear between countries. In Cyprus, almost half of employees, 44%, report feeling physically exhausted always or most of the time due to work, the highest percentage among the countries included in the survey. In contrast, the lowest level of physical exhaustion is observed in the Netherlands, at 18%. The most common health problems reported by employees are muscular pain in the shoulders, neck and upper limbs, as well as back pain, both reported by 52% of respondents. Next are headaches and eye strain at 47%, muscular pain in the hips and lower limbs at 38%, and anxiety at 21%.
Women report more health problems than men in all categories included in the survey. The largest gender differences appear in headaches and eyestrain, reported by 54% of women and 41% of men, as well as anxiety, reported by 26% of women and 16% of men.