Which jobs have the highest levels of mental fatigue?
In 2020, mental fatigue complaintsnoot1 caused by work (burn-out complaints) occurred most frequently among employees with a pedagogical occupation, such as teachers and educators, and people with a creative or linguistic occupation. Last year, 16 percent of all employees reported mental fatigue complaints. This was 17 percent in 2018 and 2019. This is evident from the Netherlands Working Conditions Survey (NEA), conducted jointly by CBS and the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO).
More fatigue complaints associated with a high workload and little autonomy
The survey figures show that mental fatigue due to work is more common among employees who generally experience a high workload. This is to say they are regularly required to work very fast, very long hours or extra hard.
It turns out that the amount of autonomy employees have, i.e. how much they have to say about the way they work, is decisive. Employees who experience a high workload but are able to (co-)decide on how the work is carried out and the order and speed in which the work has to be done, as well as on leave and working hours, report mental fatigue complaints less often than employees who do not have this level of autonomy (in 2020, 23 percent and 35 percent, respectively). Employees with a lot of autonomy and a low workload suffer the least from mental fatigue complaints (in 2020 this was 8 percent).
| werknemer | Share of employees |
|---|---|
| Low level of autonomy | . |
| High workload | 35.2 |
| Low workload | 11.7 |
| High level of autonomy | . |
| High workload | 22.7 |
| Low workload | 8.0 |
Little autonomy and high workload in the education sector
The fact that autonomy, work pressure and mental fatigue complaints are interrelated becomes apparent when occupations are compared. Managers experienced the highest workload in 2020, but also had the most autonomy. The percentage of managers with mental fatigue complaints was one of the lowest among all employees. People working in transport and logistics occupations also report relatively few mental fatigue complaints. While they have little autonomy, they do not experience a high workload. Both a high workload and a low degree of autonomy are common in education and in care and welfare occupations.
The service occupations are an exception. This sector is characterised by both a high workload and little autonomy, yet relatively few employees reported mental fatigue complaints in 2020. This can in part be explained by the fact that these occupations, including the cleaning industry and accommodation and food services, are staffed by a relatively large number of young people.
| beroep | Low level of autonomy | High workload | Mental fatigue symptoms on a regular basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| All occupations | 41.5 | 33.9 | 15.7 |
| Educational occupations | 61.8 | 40.2 | 21.0 |
| Creative and linguistic occupations | 27.0 | 33.7 | 18.8 |
| ICT | 17.7 | 27.5 | 18.5 |
| Care and welfare | 55.3 | 38.9 | 18.0 |
| Business economics and administration | 26.5 | 35.0 | 16.0 |
| Commercial occupations | 42.7 | 34.7 | 15.4 |
| Technical occupations | 37.3 | 28.4 | 15.3 |
| Public administration, security and justice | 35.8 | 31.5 | 14.6 |
| Managers | 9.7 | 50.9 | 13.9 |
| Service-oriented occupations | 55.4 | 31.2 | 11.8 |
| Transport and logistics | 70.1 | 24.7 | 11.2 |
| Agricultural occupations | 50.2 | 23.7 | 10.3 |
| Other | 57.4 | 23.8 | 18.3 |
The questions
- How are figures calculated by CBS?
- How many dwellings in the Netherlands?
- How fast is the Dutch population growing?
- How tall are Dutch people?
- How many farm animals are there in the Netherlands?
- Which jobs often cause a poor work-life balance?
- How many diamond wedding couples are there?
- How much energy is from renewable sources?
- How many people fall victim to domestic violence?
- How many people use the Internet of Things?
- What are the major religions?
- What are the most popular majors?
- What do people die of on an average day?
- How much water do we consume?
- What do we buy online?
- How are the various animal species doing?
- How many under-23s receive youth assistance?
- Which flower bulbs are most common?
- How many companies in the Netherlands?
- Where do Caribbean Dutch children live?
- How do we use our land?
- How many electric cars are driving around?
- Which jobs have the highest levels of mental fatigue?
- How much nitrogen is emitted at livestock farms?
- How many workers belong to a trade union?
- How much have food prices gone up?
- Where were people in the Caribbean Netherlands originally born?
- How many families are at risk of poverty?
- How sustainable is our behaviour?
- What do we import from China?
- How many girls become teenage mothers?
- Has our purchasing power gone up or down?
- How many adults smoke?
- How many millionaires in the Netherlands?
- How many tourists stay overnight in the Netherlands?
- How does CBS handle your privacy?
Noten
Work-related mental fatigue
Mental fatigue due to work is measured based on the following statements:
- I feel emotionally exhausted by my work.
- At the end of a working day, I feel empty.
- I feel tired when I get up in the morning at the thought of starting work.
- It takes a lot out of me to work with people all day long.
- I feel completely exhausted by my work.
The possible responses are: never, several times a year, monthly, several times a month, weekly, several times a week, or every day. If someone’s average response to these statements is several times a month or more frequently, this person’s contribution is viewed as representing mental fatigue caused by work.