Finns' work ability has improved, burnout symptoms remain unchanged

Finns feel that their work ability is slightly better than before. In the summer of 2026, 43 per cent of working Finns felt that their work ability was excellent, compared to 39 per cent a year earlier.  

The How is Finland doing? study by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) includes for the first time a report on five different areas of work ability. The survey asked how well the respondents are able to meet the physical, cognitive, social, emotional and competence requirements of their work. 

The experience of physical work ability was at the strongest level: A total of 67 per cent were able to fully meet the physical requirements of their work, such as standing or lifting objects. Emotional work ability, i.e. responding to emotional demands, such as encountering and handling other people’s emotions was the weakest (41%). 

"Work ability is a more complex issue than many people think. A person can be fully able to work in one area, even if they need support to bolster another area. In addition, different work tasks emphasise different work requirements. In light of this, work tasks could be adapted as needed to help extending careers," says Research Professor Jari Hakanen. 

Of the different areas of work ability, cognitive, emotional and competence work ability improved in the population compared with summer 2025. Physical and social work ability remained at the same level. 

The amount of remote work was not related to overall work ability. 

Young adults rate their cognitive and physical work ability slightly higher than others 

There were differences in emphasis on different areas of work ability among different age groups.  

Younger age was linked to better physical and cognitive work ability. Cognitive work ability refers to the ability to meet the demands of work related to information processing and thinking. On the other hand, younger age was linked to poorer social work ability, which refers to the ability to meet the demands of working with others and situations of informal interaction. 

"The results may reflect the lack of experience related to the early stages of a career. They may also indicate that there are more social demands in the industries and jobs that employ young people. Therefore, the result should not be interpreted as just an individual characteristic of young adults. However, these observations demonstrate which areas of work ability require special attention in supporting young adults and work development," says Specialist Researcher Janne Kaltiainen. 

More than half of those under the age of 30 felt that their work ability was excellent. In terms of well-being at work, however, young people were in a weaker position than other age groups. The younger the respondent, the less work engagement and the more boredom at work they experience. Loneliness was also more prevalent among younger people. 

No differences in burnout symptoms were observed between different ages.  

Measures for limiting burnout symptoms should focus on bureaucracy requirements and role conflicts 

One in four (26%) working Finns still have an elevated risk or severe burnout. Burnout symptoms were more common among both employees and supervisors than before the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The How is Finland doing? study examined the prevalence of different job demands and their connection to job burnout. The aim was to identify factors that explain the prevalence of burnout symptoms in the population.  

In particular, bureaucratic requirements and role conflicts seem to play a key role. 

"We often talk about the amount of work, but it is not necessarily the number one risk factor. What seems to have a greater impact is that rigid operating methods, inadequate tools, the slow flow of information or conflicting expectations create unnecessary friction at work. These factors can also increase the experience of business and reduce the time an employee feels that they spend on core work," says Researcher Jie Li.  

There are several ways to reduce bureaucracy and role conflicts in workplaces. They are related to simplifying workplace processes and strengthening shared understanding. 

“I would encourage people to define what is core work and to eliminate tasks that do not support your goals together. Agree within the work community on how to act and what to prioritise when the different work requirements conflict. Carry out regular reviews of things like reporting practices, data collection and processes: what can be stopped, simplified or done less often," says Jie Li. 

Uncertainty related to work, excessive workload, monotony and physical workload are also risk factors for job burnout, although they play a smaller role in the population level on average.  

Research project: Methods of the How is Finland doing? 

• The research project produces information on the development of well-being at work and working conditions among Finnish employees. The study data consists of survey responses from working Finns aged 18—65. 
• This time, the results summary focuses on changes in Finns’ well-being at work and working conditions, especially between summer 2025 (N = 3,823) and summer 2026 (N = 3,778), but some of the results have also been compared with late 2019 (N = 1,567). 
• Read the previous results of the project on the project page: How is Finland doing?
   

Further information 

• Jari Hakanen, Research Professor, jari.hakanen@ttl.fi, +358 40 562 5433 
• Janne Kaltiainen, Specialist Researcher, janne.kaltiainen@ttl.fi, +358 50 476 5980 
• Jie Li, Researcher, jie.li@ttl.fi, +358 50 475 7376