Some 16% of workers are in demanding jobs with little autonomy and inadequate stress-busting measures, increasing the chances of periods of sick leave, a survey into working conditions by statistics agency CBS and research bureau TNO shows.

Stressful jobs are often paired with a high level of responsibility and protocols, the survey showed.

Pharmacy assistants have the most stressful job (51%), followed by primary school teachers and medical practice assistants (both 39%).  Other professions scoring high on the stress scale are in care, education and the hospitality sector.

Over the past five years, the number of people in stressful jobs fell slightly, from 18% to 16%, with little change in the type of jobs.

People in stressful jobs are more pessimistic about the future of their working conditions than others, expecting them to get more mentally taxing (50%), more difficult (39%), or less enjoyable (52%) in the next five years.

Employers don’t do enough to alleviate the pressures of work and the resulting stress, half of the people in stressful jobs said. Some 22% said there were no measures in place at all, compared to an average 28% and 10% across the board.

Stress also led to more sick leave. Just over half (52%) of people in work said they had taken time off due to illness in 2024. For people with stressful jobs, the number rose to 60%.

According to the working conditions monitor Arbodienst, almost a quarter of all absenteeism in 2024 was caused by protracted, stress-related health problems.