Shift workers 'burning out' amid financial, scheduling pressures
Happiness among Australian shift workers dipped in 2025 due to unstable rosters and underemployment, according to a new report.
Deputy's Shift Pulse Report revealed that the Net Happiness Score among shift workers dropped to 76.26% in 2025, down from 79.22% in the previous year.
The Net Happiness Score summarises the overall emotional well-being in a given industry or group. It subtracts the share of employees saying they're stressed and frustrated from those who feel good or amazing by the end of their shift.
Gathering about 2.97 million end-of-shift surveys, the report found that 82.16% of employees expressed happy sentiments, down from 83.15% last year.
On the other hand, 5.90% of employees feel stressed or frustrated, rising from 4.28%.
"The data reveals a workforce that is still positive, but increasingly stretched," said Silvija Martincevic, CEO of Deputy, in a statement.
According to the report, the "more muted" mood among shift workers reflects the growing pressure across the workforce.
"Australia's shift workers are resilient, but satisfaction is slipping in sectors where wages aren't keeping up with inflation and scheduling consistency is breaking down," the report read. "It's leading to unpredictable income, emotional fatigue, and less day-to-day satisfaction."
Among the drivers behind the shift are:
"Shift workers aren't checking out — they're burning out. As financial and scheduling pressures mount, they're adjusting expectations just to keep going," the report read.
Meanwhile, the report found that shift workers in call centres experienced the biggest surge in unhappy sentiment, jumping to 17.90% in 2025 from 6.78% a year ago.
"This sharp spike suggests a system under strain: KPI pressure, repetitive tasks, limited flexibility, and little schedule control are pushing workers toward emotional fatigue," the report read. "For many, job demands have intensified while meaningful support has not."
Other emotionally strained workers include those in tobacco and vape stores (13.85%), as well as sit-down restaurants (8.02%).
For the happiest industries, outpatient care services ranked first across Australia despite not being in last year's dataset.
"The sheer volume of happiness in this category reflects a clear formula: stable rosters, clear clinical environments, and meaningful, non-acute patient care," the report read. "Workers benefit from task clarity, continuity of care, and minimal overnight disruption."
By region, Queensland reported the happiest shift workers with 83.35%, followed by South Australia (82.96%), and then Tasmania (81.96%).
"[Queensland's] workforce continues to benefit from the state's large hospitality and healthcare sectors, where strong team culture, reliable rostering, and a buoyant service economy help reinforce morale," the report read.
The most emotionally strained shift workforce was reported in the Northern Territory, with a Net Happiness Score of 79.12%. This is followed by Queensland (77.79%) and then South Australia (76.12%).
Martincevic said the findings underscore the need for organisations to build workplaces that prevent burnout in order to retain great staff, protect culture, and boost performance.
"That means more innovative scheduling, more predictable hours, and real investment in the workforce experience," the Deputy CEO said. "Because when shift workers feel seen, supported, and stable, they show up stronger for your customers and your business."
