Canadian employees’ well-being is declining, with workers reporting an average well-being score of 43.7 out of 100 in 2024, according to a new report by Dialogue Health Technologies Inc.

The report polled more than 13,000 employees and assessed their responses across five dimensions of well-being, including mood, stress, sleep, activeness and sense of purpose. It found employees aged 20 to 29 reported the lowest average score (40.6), with symptoms such as lack of sleep and physical activity ranked low among all age groups.

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Sense of purpose declined the most out of the five dimensions with employees noting negative stressors like financial instability causing a delay in key life events (70 per cent), mental-health challenges (48 per cent), work-life balance (33 per cent) and negative news and global events (33 per cent) undermining their sense of purpose.

“Declining sense of purpose poses significant organizational risks, including reduced engagement, increased absenteeism and lost productivity,” said Dr. Marc Robin, medical director at Dialogue, in a press release. “Employers can help reverse this trend by promoting purpose-driven roles, embedding wellness into the workplace and simplifying access to care.”

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