The UK, as well as many other countries globally, is currently experiencing a competitive job market, i.e. one in which there are more candidates seeking employment than there are available roles. The UK market has seen a concurrent rise in available workers and a fall in vacancies. The recently published August 2024 KPMG & REC UK Report on Jobs stated there is a continued decrease in vacancies – this is most marked in permanent job roles, whereas temporary vacancies actually experienced an increase for the second month in a row, so it’s not all bad news.

At this point most of us are familiar with the term burnout. In 2019 the World Health Organisation added it to their International Classification of Diseases as an occupational illness due to chronic, un-managed stress, and more recent news articles this month state that rates of burnout are projected to increase this year due to continued pandemic-related stressors. In its current, most widely used role, ‘burnout’ encompasses feelings of stress, emotional exhaustion, lack of energy or interest, and depression. Whether or not the terminology is correct, burnout signifies a major problem.