Global Alarm in Business: Half of Employees Experience High Stress Every Day

An invisible pressure is building in the global business world. Almost half of employees say they experience high stress every day. ManpowerGroup 2026 published in February Global Talent According to Barometer data, two out of every three employees also state that they experience burnout. 

When we look at the global average, stress seems widespread, but when we examine the breakdowns, it becomes clear that the burden is concentrated in certain groups. Age and gender data show that stress is felt especially strongly by younger female employees. 57% of Generation Z women (18–28 years old) state that they experience high daily stress. This rate remains at 31% for men in the Baby Boomer generation (61-79 years old). There is a difference of almost half.

It is not a coincidence that stress increases on this scale. Businesses are simultaneously facing productivity pressure, talent shortages and accelerating digital transformation. Role definitions are changing, skill expectations are rising and future projections are becoming uncertain. Younger generations are at the center of this transformation and pay the higher cost of uncertainty.

For this reason, stress is now a structural work experience problem rather than a periodic intensity. The increasing pace of digital transformation, uncertainty and intense workload places stress and burnout at the center of the employee experience.

“Silent Search” Has Begun, 60% of Employees Are Actively Looking for Job

The research points to a new era in employee behavior. Although 64% of employees say they plan to stay at their current job, 60% are actively pursuing new job opportunities. 31% think they may lose their job in the near future. This information shows that a quiet mobility has begun in the workforce.

This situation shows that a cautious search comes to the fore instead of sudden breaks from work. The majority of employees prefer to stay in their current role, but the fragility in the perception of job security and uncertainty about career opportunities increases the tendency to consider new options. The difficulty of retaining employees is deepening in some sectors, especially in science technologies. Job satisfaction of white-collar employees has also decreased by 13% in 2025 compared to 2024. These data show that employees, especially in sectors where knowledge-intensive and transformation pressure is high, follow alternatives more closely.

With sectoral fragility, this search deepens especially in the younger generations. The search for additional income in Generation Z reaches 68%. Employees may not be leaving work, but they are mentally preparing for alternative scenarios.

The Problem Is Not Motivation, It's Lack of Human-Centered System Design

Jilda Bal, Founding Partner of human resources firm Gilda&Partners, emphasizes that the resulting data is a structural warning for institutions.
“The situation we face today is not a problem of individual resilience, but a lack of human-centered system design. Performance increase is not sustainable in an environment where half of the employees experience stress every day. Institutions rely only on technology.” It needs to invest in leaders, along with employees at all levels, so that they can focus on rebuilding trust, a sense of meaning and predictable career paths.

Employees may stay at work, but they want to see where they will stand in the future. Leadership is now measured by the ability to build trust in times of uncertainty, rather than producing results.

Sustainable success in the new era will depend on working models where people feel safe and valued, rather than on speed.”