Cyprus records some of the highest levels of physical and emotional exhaustion among workers in Europe, according to the European Working Conditions Survey 2024 published by Eurofound, highlighting growing pressure on the island’s workforce despite strong labour market performance across the EU.
The survey, based on more than 36,600 face-to-face interviews across 35 countries, provides a comprehensive snapshot of job quality, working conditions and wellbeing, covering EU member states as well as several neighbouring economies.
Nearly 44% of workers in Cyprus report feeling physically exhausted “always” or “most of the time” at the end of the working day, the highest rate recorded in the survey and more than double that of countries such as the Netherlands. The findings point to an elevated risk of burnout, with physical strain particularly pronounced compared to the EU average, where significantly fewer workers report such persistent exhaustion.
Demanding work patterns appear to play a key role. Around 21% of employees in Cyprus say they work six or seven days per week, placing the country among the highest in Europe alongside Greece, Italy and Croatia. This extended working week, combined with limited recovery time, is likely contributing to the high levels of fatigue observed among workers.
Cyprus scores relatively low on the survey’s work intensity index, suggesting that factors such as tight deadlines or pace of work may be less significant than structural issues, including long working hours and work-life imbalance. At the same time, emotional exhaustion remains a broader concern across Europe, with women more likely than men to report feeling emotionally drained by their work.
At the EU level, the labour market continues to show resilience, with employment reaching a record 207.8 million people in 2024. Unemployment fell to 5.8%, the lowest level in a generation, while the employment rate rose to 75.8%, approaching the bloc’s 2030 target despite a shrinking working-age population.
However, the Eurofound survey suggests that strong headline figures may be masking deeper challenges related to job quality and worker wellbeing. In Cyprus, in particular, the data raises questions about the long-term sustainability of current working conditions, especially as demographic pressures intensify and competition for talent grow.
(Source: CNA)
