Two in three employees in Romania report higher workplace stress in 2026, study finds

Two out of three employees in Romania feel more stressed at work than last year, as economic and social pressures continue to rise, according to a new study by Reveal Marketing Research. The findings point to growing concerns around burnout and declining job satisfaction.

Only 27% of employees feel happy and fulfilled at work, down 8 percentage points compared to 2025, while 57% reported higher levels of professional stress than a year ago.

The study linked the increase in anxiety to broader economic, social, and political developments, with 66% of respondents saying recent changes have significantly raised their stress levels. The impact is particularly strong among employees aged 25 to 34 (72%).

Rising living costs and declining purchasing power are among the main drivers of stress, cited by 62% and 56% of respondents, respectively. Economic instability, fear of job loss, and uncertainty about the future also contribute to growing pressure on employees.

At the workplace level, the main stress factors include heavy workloads (58%), taking on too many responsibilities (49%), and financial difficulties (41%), with the latter increasing significantly compared to the previous year.

According to the same study, more than half of employees (55%) believe employers are not providing sufficient support to help manage stress.

Common coping strategies remain taking time off (52%) and engaging in leisure activities (47%), although both have declined compared to 2025. At the same time, changing jobs is becoming a more frequent response, cited by 29% of respondents, up from 21% last year.

The study was conducted online in March 2026 on a sample of 1,000 urban employees aged 18 and over.

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