Social affairs minister worried by increase in young people suffering from burnout

There is an increase in people who are unable to work due to mental issues and are therefore applying for disability benefits, said outgoing Social Affairs Minister Karien van Gennip. These individuals are mainly “younger people with burnout.” The minister is worried about the trend.

The social benefits agency, UWV, has also noticed an increase in the number of people unable to work. They saw an increase in benefits applications of 15 percent in 2023 than the year before.

According to Van Gennip, that can be partly explained by the fact that more people are working. People also have to remain employed for a longer period of time due to the higher pension age.

A share of the increase is due to the coronavirus pandemic. But many young people are also applying for disability benefits because they have been sidelined for a long time due to burnout symptoms. It is only possible to apply for disability benefits when someone has been unable to work for two years.

“If you ask me now, ‘What are you worried about?’ It’s that,” said the outgoing minister about this group of people. She said she worries that the Netherlands could become a “burnout society” if it is not careful.

She has commissioned additional research into the people who are unable to work due to mental health issues.

A large part of the people under the age of 40 who applied for disability benefits in 2023 have a mental health issue. The UWV has also seen that many people who cannot work come from sectors with higher work pressure.