Almost 1.3 million people in the Netherlands – or 17% of the working population – struggled with the symptoms of burnout in 2021, according to new research.

The figure is back in line with pre-coronavirus levels, after dropping slightly in 2020 when working from home soared, according to the research from the TNO Institute and national statistics agency CBS.

The researchers say four in 10 workers believe steps need to be taken to reduce stress at work and 37% say the pressure of their job or stress have led them to take time off.

In total, stress resulted in the loss of 11 million days at work last year, at a cost of some €3 billion. Teachers are most likely to take time of work because of stress, the CBS said.

Working from home

Meanwhile the Financieele Dagblad reports on Monday that employers are beginning to place more restrictions on working from home. Some 70% of Dutch employers plan to limit working from home options or reduce the number of hybrid jobs.

The figures come from an international survey by Linkedin, involving 2,900 companies with more than 1,000 workers.

In addition, the number of online job vacancies in which flexible hours are mentioned as one of the working conditions has gone down by one third since last September, the paper said.