New Research Places New Jersey Among Americas Most Stressed Workers

The world has changed more than we ever thought since the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020. Professional industries have been turned upside down, the digital landscape has become a centerpiece of our daily lives, and the latest inflation surge gave United States citizens a cumulative 19.8 percent escalation from 2021 to 2024.

A recent study found that 77 percent of Americans are "anxious about their financial situation", and 58 percent admit that their financial situation "controls" their lives. This type of stress will impact everything from people's daily professional environment to their personal life.

With 76 percent of US Households living paycheck to paycheck, how are these realities impacting the workplace for New Jersey Residents?

New research by the Omega Law Group looked into what states have the highest and lowest work stress. They analyzed these factors to create a cumulative score to rank the states:

-Job Insecurity
-Unmanageable Workloads
-Workplace Culture
-Cost of Living Pressure
-Work Hours
-Economic Stressors
-Work Commute

The Omega Law Group ranks New Jersey as the 5th highest workplace stress score in the United States. In fact, they estimate that NJ workers have 40 percent more stress than the average American Worker.

The top two factors in New Jersey having high job stress are Long work commutes, and high housing costs. 50 percent of New Jersey workers admit to burnout due to the stress from their work, and they estimate businesses are losing 14,640 per worker annually due to these stressors.

One of the negative side effects of New Jersey workers being so stressed is lower productivity and higher absenteeism, according to a press release from The Omega Law Group. So these stressors impacting NJ workers is also creating negative ramifications for many businesses in the state as well.

The Top Ten States with the highest Job Stress:

1. Georgia (long commutes and job insecurity)
2. Alabama (Economic pressure and workload stress)
3. Nevada (Cost-of-living pressures and workplace stress)
4. Mississippi (Healthcare access and high unemployment stress)
5. New Jersey (Long commutes, high housing costs, and workplace stress)
6. Kentucky (Commuting fatigue and job insecurity)
7. Tennessee (Workload and long commutes are causing burnout)
8. Ohio (Economic challenges and stress due to workload)
9. Indiana (High unemployment and workplace dissatisfaction)
10. Louisiana (Natural disasters, economic strain, and long commutes)