Burnout is a term that has become all too familiar in the modern workplace. It’s a state of physical and mental exhaustion that can remove the joy out of your career, friendships, family, and relationships. While any job can potentially lead to workplace burnout, there are certain careers that, due to their stressful and demanding nature, have higher burnout rates.
Let’s explore the most stressful jobs with high burnout rates and find ways to combat it.
Table of Contents
Jobs With Highest Burnout Rates
Every job comes with its own unique set of challenges and stress. These are the 10 most stressful jobs, according to Microsoft’s 2021 Work Trend Index, that experience the highest job burnout rates:
Doctors
Nurses
Fast Food and Retail Workers
Social Workers
Police Officers
Air Traffic Controllers
Emergency Response Workers
Lawyers
Teachers
Certified Public Accountants
1. Doctor
Doctors hold one of society’s most critical roles; their job is to reduce suffering and save lives. And while they enjoy some of the highest salaries among any profession, it’s not without high levels of stress.
The American Medical Association reveals that 63% of physicians reported symptoms of burnout. And it’s not shocking why.
They have demanding roles, typically surpassing a 40-hour week, in an extremely stressful environment, surrounded by people who are sick or dying. Such an emotional burden, coupled with erratic long hours, is incredibly taxing. Their daily engagement with life-altering decisions only adds to the stress.
Interestingly, specific sectors, like dentist burnout, shed light on the intricate challenges within the broader medical community, reinforcing the need for systemic support.
2. Nurse
It’s often said that nurses are the backbone of healthcare. As such, they face a ton of pressure every single day. And these pressures are only intensifying with increasing demands on healthcare systems worldwide.
On top of this, nurses often work long shifts and face emotionally charged situations with patients who are scared, ill, or even on the brink of death.
The multifaceted demands of their role often go unnoticed and the expectation of unwavering compassion can amplify the risks of burnout.
Statistics on nurse burnout are eye-opening. A 2020 survey disclosed that 62% of nurses, and an alarming 69% of younger nurses, report feeling burned out.
3. Fast Food and Retail Workers
Working in fast food or retail is often associated with demanding schedules, below-average wages, and the challenge of managing difficult customers. The rise of viral videos showcasing customer meltdowns stands a testament to this.
In these settings, workers encounter repetitive tasks, infrequent (and short) break periods, and demands for promptness and proficiency. This all adds up to a stress-laden atmosphere.
Beyond handling the occasional unruly customer, retail and fast food workers contend with long hours on their feet, limited compensation, and few benefits (if any), creating a feeling that they’re undervalued.
The very essence of this work, filled with customer interactions, often requires workers to deal with a spectrum of emotions—from the grateful to the impatient and rude. This makes the role not only physically demanding, but emotionally draining as well.
4. Social Worker
Social workers navigate some of society’s most critical concerns, be it child abuse, domestic violence, substance misuse, or other traumatic situations. Engaging with these issues daily can be profoundly rewarding. Yet, it comes with significant emotional weight and an overwhelming caseload, often creating chronic workplace stress.
For many social workers, the possibility of burnout is tied to compassion fatigue or secondary traumatic stress. Setting boundaries becomes pivotal, but it’s challenging when the very essence of their stressful role is to assist individuals through dire circumstances.
Imagine the emotional and mental weight of absorbing and addressing others’ traumas for long hours on end, day after day. This is not only mentally exhausting but may also have physical ramifications.
To attest to this challenge, about 75% of social workers report experiencing burnout at some point in their careers. The field demands not only professional expertise but also an emotional fortitude—a “thick skin”—given the magnitude of the issues they face every single day.
5. Police Officer
Police officers stand on the front lines of danger, confronting daily risks to maintain public safety and uphold the law.
Their role’s inherent nature, with unpredictable long hours and emotionally draining incidents, becomes a source of significant and oftentimes constant stress. The harrowing fact that every shift could be their last, combined with the daily exposure to a high-stress environment, understandably takes a toll.
Despite the expectation to maintain a facade of invulnerability, some officers unfortunately resort to detrimental coping mechanisms, such as alcohol, exacerbating the risk of burnout.
One police academy director approximated that at any given time, about 15 percent of any police department’s officers are in a burnout phase, with 5 to 7 percent being completely burned out.
6. Air Traffic Controller
Air traffic controllers have an immense responsibility, to ensure the safe coordination of many flights each day. Although the position offers lucrative compensation even with limited experience, the stress attached to it is high.
This role is a hotbed for pressure, where a single error can spell disaster for hundreds. According to this 2006 study, the human-factor causes can be attributed to 70–80% of accidents in high-hazard industries.
But to only focus on the large stakes of their job as an explanation for high stress levels would be short-sighted. An air traffic controller juggles multiple tasks, continuously oversees their mental bandwidth, and assesses their performance on the fly. Their duty to guarantee the safety of every plane’s passengers necessitates high alertness and concentration.
7. Emergency Response Worker
Emergency response professionals, from paramedics to firefighters, dive headfirst into crises. The volatile nature of their duties, paired with the traumatic events they routinely face, creates burnout.
Many emergency response workers also deal with severe sleep deprivation due to erratic night shifts. This disrupted sleep, coupled with the profound emotional and psychological impact of their daily encounters, makes them susceptible to workplace burnout.
A survey by the University of Minnesota found that sixty-two percent of all responders reported burnout, with high levels of depersonalization (47%) and emotional exhaustion (46%),
Given the circumstances of their work, the high burnout rates in this sector are sadly understandable.
8. Lawyer
Lawyers work long hours, they face tight deadlines, and high pressure to secure victories when they’re in the courtroom.
The journey begins in law school, where many prospective attorneys face burnout even before embarking on their professional paths.
Though the median lawyer salary stands at an impressive $127,990, it’s accompanied by a long list of challenges—from sifting through endless documents to feeling isolated, since discussions on active cases need to be limited.
Add to that demanding clients, high expectations, and the inherent strain of the profession. It’s hardly surprising that Bloomberg Law’s survey revealed lawyers experience burnout over half the time. Regardless of one’s legal specialization, the job’s stress levels remain fairly consistent.
9. Teacher
Teachers are not just academic guides but they also play pivotal roles in students’ socio-emotional growth.
The recent pandemic highlighted the intricacies of their role, showing many parents all the behind-the-scenes tasks teachers do, like lesson planning and grading. But beyond academic planning, they deal with student behavior, administrative duties, and oftentimes very limited resources—all of which amplify stress.
With 44% of K-12 educators reporting burnout and 35% of university lecturers sharing the sentiment, the teachers face a burnout crisis. A concerning revelation is that many educators opt to exit the career within their first four years, signaling an urgent need for support.
10. Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
CPAs, despite the stereotypical portrayal of leading monochromatic, mundane lives, experience substantial professional burnout.
Their role, although very financially rewarding, brings challenges like handling substantial client loads, working in solitude, and managing sleep deprivation (especially during the frenzied tax season).
The nature of their profession demands consistent accuracy, even under the pressures of extensive workloads, strict deadlines, and repetitive tasks.
According to a study by the University of Georgia (UGA) and FloQast, almost all accountants (99%) suffer from burnout and feelings of exhaustion, inefficiency, and alienation from their jobs.
Are Students Also Experiencing Burnout?
Sadly, burnout often starts before a person even gets their first job. Students face increasingly high pressures, causing even young children to experience burnout.
It typically starts when the student feels immense pressure to do well – they’re told their future depends on it, after all. Yet, burnout in students is associated with lower academic performance.
A study by researchers at Rutgers found that “the majority of college students experienced increased stress levels and worsening mental health as a result of the pandemic.”
Some fields of study are particularly stressful and lead to higher rates of burnout. Law school burnout and medical school burnout are both very common among students, due in part to large workloads and high standards of excellence.
What Are the Signs of Burnout at Work?
When we think about visible signs of distress, it’s usually unmistakable. Consider someone arriving at your door covered in blood – their need for immediate help is obvious. But burnout, with its intangible nature, doesn’t showcase such obvious signs, making it a silent, creeping epidemic in workplaces.
Oftentimes, those who are burnt out at work are too tired and stressed to even recognize it. Just as a drunk driver might genuinely believe they’re fit to drive, someone in a burnout phase may not see the toll it’s taking on them.
It’s also difficult to recognize burnout in others, since it’s not something we share with one another. Instead, we may wrongly judge the person who is burnt out as simply being a “bad person” because they’re showing negative signs of burnout like:
- Passive-aggression
- Irritability
- Lack of patience
It’s crucial to understand that burnout isn’t a personal failing but a result of prolonged stress and high expectations, often in environments that don’t offer adequate support or enough resources. In the case of the other 2 types of burnout, the causes and symptoms are completely different.
Recognizing these signs is the first step toward prevention and recovery. Offering a listening ear or seeking help can make a world of difference to someone grappling with burnout.
When Does Burnout Appear?
You can start suffering from employee burnout anytime. However, some people start suffering from burnout starting in their mid-30s up to their early 50s. This is what’s called a mid-career burnout. It is often caused by a heavy workload or lack of support, and some of its symptoms are exhaustion, decreased productivity, and a negative attitude.
How to Deal with Burnout?
If you think you are starting to feel any of the burnout symptoms mentioned above, you need to make a change right away.
The first thing you can do is take this class on burnout, which shows you how to deal with job stress in 5 easy steps. The class will not only help you beat burnout but teach you what you need to do never to find yourself in this situation again. It will help you achieve work life balance and a state of well being.
You can also check out the guide on how to beat burnout, which shares 10 strategies you can use to beat any type of burnout. This guide on beating burnout explains what happens if burnout is not successfully managed and how long it takes to recover is you feel burned out.
Keep in Mind
In a recent study I have conducted, I found that only 6% of people stick to their goals. I have shared the methodology for doing that in this article about the 6% research. What these 6% do to succeed is they first stop the rat race and pause to check with themselves to find out what drains them the most. The next thing they do is they get granular in their planning: what do they need to do differently right now to take some of that load off?
Pursuing your goals requires energy. When working in a career with a high burnout rate, you need to make taking care of yourself a priority. You got this!
FAQ
The careers with the highest burnout rates typically include healthcare professionals, teachers, social workers, retail workers, lawyers, police officers, customer service representatives, finance professionals, salespeople, and fast-food workers.
While burnout is common in these careers, it can be mitigated with proper support, resources, self-care strategies, and workplace interventions.