The share of Romanian employees who feel happy and fulfilled at work fell by 8% in 2026 compared with the previous year, reaching 27%, while more than half of workers (55%) say employers do not offer enough support measures, shows a specialist survey released on Thursday.
Data from Reveal Marketing Research show that two-thirds of respondents (66%) say the economic, social and political changes of the past year have increased workplace stress.
Financial difficulties now weigh more heavily on employees' stress levels (41%, up from 29% in 2025), and changing jobs is gaining ground as a solution (29% vs. 21%).
Only 27% of employees feel happy and fulfilled at work, while over half (57%) rate their professional stress level as higher than last year. Stress is highest among those aged 25 - 34 (72%).
Key stress factors include: rising cost of living (62%), declining purchasing power (56%), economic instability and fear of job loss (44%), and uncertainty about the future (36%). In this context, 55% believe employers do not provide sufficient support.
In-company, employees identify heavy workload (58%), taking on too many responsibilities (49%) and financial difficulties (41%) as the main stress drivers.
The main strategies for coping with high stress remain taking vacation leave (52%) and relaxing activities in free time (47%).
Employee proactivity in preventing burnout is declining: 52% take anti-stress measures (down from 60% in 2025), with the highest rate among those aged 18 - 24 (74%).
Overall, changing jobs has become a more frequent stress-management strategy, with 29% of Romanians doing so in 2026, compared with 21% the previous year.
The Reveal Marketing Research study was conducted online between March 9 - 13, 2026, on a sample of 1,000 respondents, with a maximum sampling error of +/-3.1% at a 95% confidence level.
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