Worried about how you're going to pay the bills, whether you chose the right career or if your relationship is on the right track?
If you're a Canadian adult, chances are you answered 'yes' to one or all of the above. But according to a new Ipsos Reid survey, you might be even more likely to feel stressed about such issues if you’re just starting out in your work life.
According to a recent survey tracking the stress levels of Canadians, 90 per cent of young Canadian adults – those aged from 18 to 24 -- experience excessive stress. That compares to the 72 per cent of all adults who feel "overwhelmed" by the stress in their lives.
Perhaps less surprisingly, the majority of our stress is related to either work or personal finances.
Respondents to the poll were asked whether they had an excessive workload, whether they were satisfied with their workload and found it to be "just about right," or whether they felt under-employed and therefore unable to make full use of their skills and abilities at work.
While the majority (56%) said they felt happy and satisfied with their current work position, 28 per cent said they felt underemployed and under-utilized, and a full 16 per cent felt overworked and overextended.
Interestingly, when respondents were broken down by age, the numbers showed that younger Canadian adults were more likely than any other age group to say they felt overworked, or underemployed.
Among those 18-24, 39 per cent said they felt under-employed, and 26 per cent felt over-worked. Only 35 per cent felt their work situation was "just about right" -- well below the average.
The high level of young Canadians feeling underemployed shouldn't come as a surprise, Ipsos Reid noted, given the fact unemployment levels spike to almost 15 per cent for those under 25 -- more than twice the national average.
"It is more difficult for young Canadians to find permanent full-time jobs that suit their skills and areas of study," Louis Theriault, director of health economics at the Conference Board of Canada, said in a statement accompanying the poll. “Recent job creation has been dominated by part-time work -- which is becoming a trend in Canada. This impacts younger workers in particular and contributes to their higher stress level.”
Young people who can only find part-time work are simply more likely to experience a sense of under-utilization in their career, and therefore stress.
And while the poll found that 75 per cent of Canadians working full-time described their emotional health as very good or excellent, only 67 per cent of part-time workers and 56 per cent of the unemployed could say the same.
The survey -- conducted on behalf of Sun Life Financial Canada – reflects the toll stress is taking on Canada's workforce. According to Sun Life, for Canadians aged 30 and under, 40 per cent of long-term disability claims are related to mental health, which largely stems for work-related stress.
"We're concerned to see the impact of economic instability on young Canadians. with nine in 10 feeling excessively stressed," said Sun Life Financial Canada President Kevin Dougherty.
The specific issues respondents named as causes of stress include:
- Personal or household finances: 44 per cent
- Personal relationships: 30 per cent
- Work life: 26 per cent
- Health condition/personal health issue: 26 per cent
- Caring for dependent children or adults: 12 per cent
- Other 7 per cent
- Nothing is causing me excessive or uncomfortable levels of stress: 28 per cent
The Ipsos Reid/Sun Life Canadian Health Index is based on findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between June 29 and July 16, 2012. A sample of 3,113 Canadians from 18 to 80 years of age from the Ipsos Canadian online panel was interviewed online.
