Nearly a quarter of US workers feeling burnt out or struggling

More than half of all respondents - 57 percent - said a struggling economy was the biggest threat to their job

Nearly a quarter of American workers are struggling with or experiencing burnout at work - with Millennials saying their jobs are taking the greatest toll.

Close to 30 percent of Millennials said they were “struggling” or “burnt out” earlier this month, according to a new survey of more than 3,000 U.S. adults from USA Today and software company SurveyMonkey.

Millennials, those between 30 and 45 years old, make up the majority of respondents who say they’re facing burnout, a condition that leads to physical and mental exhaustion.

“Workers who are struggling or burnt out exhibit significantly lower levels of job satisfaction, morale, engagement and productivity, and are more likely to consider leaving their job,” the survey explained.

Close to 30 percent of Millennials said they were ’struggling’ or ‘burnt out’ earlier this month (Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Millennial malaise

Why do Millennials believe they have it so bad? The economy appears to be a large part of the problem. Workers of all ages say they feel financially “squeezed” due to layoffs and concerns about the economy.

More than half of all respondents - 57 percent - said a struggling economy was the biggest threat to their job, and four in 10 workers said their paycheck has not kept up with increasing prices.

Millennials and Gen Z workers are more likely to work at a job just to make ends meet than older Gen X workers, the survey found.

There are also problems with growth in the workplace. More than one in three workers from all generations say their company is understaffed, potentially leading to stretched responsibilities without compensation and more anxiety.

One in three Gen Z and Millennial workers say their company’s growth and development opportunities are either just fair or poor.

An employee serves customers at a Mexican restaurant in Houston, Texas, in September 2025. Younger employees say they are more likely to work a job just for the paycheck than Gen Xers (AFP via Getty Images)

Hope springs eternal

Still, the hope of a better situation remains. One in four workers is actively hunting for another job, hoping to make more money, obtain better benefits, grow in their career and improve their work-life balance: a particularly crucial factor for Millennial and Gen Z workers.

Employees looking to keep younger workers may want to consider several changes to the workplace that could help improve morale, the survey noted.

Those changes include offering more training and development opportunities, better benefits for health care and insurance, a clearer path for advancement at the company and a more hybrid or remote work arrangement.

Of course, nearly half of workers say being paid more would also help them to feel more engaged.

“The good news is that organizations have many solutions for addressing this issue beyond increasing salaries,” the survey authors said.

Breaking out of burnout

Feelings of burnout in the American workplace is nothing new.

Last year, a survey of more than 2,000 employees, by insurance company Aflac, found that burnout among employees had risen to a seven-year high, with nearly three in four employees facing moderate-to-very high stress at work.

Financial fragility was a part of those findings with 44 percent of employees saying they could not pay $1,000 in out-of-pocket costs for an unexpected illness or injury.

However that report showed Gen Z had surpassed millennials as the most burned out generation.

"Breaking the cycle of stress and burnout may begin with employers carefully analyzing employees' responsibilities both on and off the clock and threading the needle between productivity and home life balance,” Aflac Chief Strategy Officer Matthew Owenby said then.