Finnish people are increasingly suffering occupational burnout and worrying about the future of their jobs, the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health recently reported.
It said around one quarter of Finns have a concerning level of occupational burnout symptoms, and that burnout had particularly increased among workers between the ages of 30 and 45.
The institute's 'How is Finland doing?' study was limited to Finns, and did not examine the country's growing number of employees with international backgrounds.
But recent research has found that migrants and ethnic minorities in Finland experienced poorer mental wellbeing than the general population. At the same time, people with international backgrounds are also less likely to seek out help for mental health concerns.
This week, Yle News' podcast All Points North asked audience members to share their experiences with occupational burnout — and there were many responses.
Listen to the latest episode of All Points North on this player, on Yle Areena, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
We also spoke with occupational health psychologist Miia Rautiainen, who works at private health firm Mehiläinen and has 25 years of experience in helping people with burnout.
She described occupational burnout as a form of long-term stress that can cause a range of serious symptoms, including depression and feelings of detachment. Among other things, people suffering burnout can even stop enjoying things they normally do.
But burnout can also affect people who are job hunting, according to executive and career coach Sagan Rossi, who also does pro bono work to help jobseekers find their way. Originally from the US, Rossi came to Finland in 2003 and has since become a naturalised Finn.
Rossi told APN that only a couple of years ago it was rare to hear the term "burnout" from jobseekers. But nowadays, Rossi said about 90 percent of the jobseekers they see are burnt out.
This episode of APN explores both occupational and job-seeking burnout, and the experts offer tips and information about how to recover from it.
After all, as Miia Rautiainen said: "burnout is not a terminal condition".
Listen to the episode via this embedded player, on Yle Areena, via Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Join the conversation!
Mark B. Odom produced and presented this episode of All Points North. The sound engineer was Pasi Ilkka.
If you have any questions or want to share your thoughts, contact us via WhatsApp at +358 44 421 0909 or at yle.news@yle.fi and allpointsnorth@yle.fi.
