A survey of more than 1,700 employees puts numbers to what skipped meals, credit-funded groceries and unpaid overtime are doing to Canadian workplaces.
Work and financial stress damaged the mental health of roughly three in four Canadian employees over the past year, according to survey results released on September 10, 2026 by Harris & Partners. Of more than 1,700 workers polled, 76 per cent said their mental health had been negatively affected by pressure from their job, their finances, or both.
The figures land at a point where household budgets and workplace expectations are being squeezed at the same time. The same survey found that a substantial share of respondents are no longer absorbing that pressure quietly — they are cutting back on food, leaning on credit for essentials, and in some cases leaving their jobs over it.
The Numbers Behind the 76 Per Cent
The survey covered more than 1,700 Canadian employees. Harris & Partners did not publish the polling dates, field methodology or margin of error in the material released, so those details are not specified.
The headline results break down as follows:
| Finding reported by employees | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
| Mental health negatively affected by job or financial stress in the past year | 76% |
| Financial pressure has made them consider changing jobs or careers | 55% |
| Workload increased over the past year | 52% |
| Skipped meals or other essentials to make ends meet | 37% |
| Delayed taking holidays or personal time off | 34% |
| Used credit to cover basics such as groceries or rent | 33% |
| Took on extra duties without additional pay | 21% |
| Struggled to pay bills on time | 20% |
| Worked unpaid overtime | 15% |
| Postponed seeking medical or mental-health support | 14% |
| Already changed jobs or careers because of financial pressure | 11% |
Skipped Meals and Credit-Funded Groceries
Two data points stand out because they describe basic consumption rather than discretionary spending. More than a third of respondents — 37 per cent — said they had skipped meals or gone without essentials to stretch their money. Another 33 per cent said they had used credit to pay for things like groceries or rent.
Using revolving credit for recurring necessities is a different financial behaviour from using it for a one-time purchase, because the underlying expense arrives again the following month. When a third of a workforce sample reports doing it, the pressure is structural rather than situational.
That pattern sits alongside other recent Canadian indicators of thinning household buffers, including data showing nearly 400 consumer insolvencies being filed in Canada every day and survey work documenting how household savings and financial resilience have eroded in British Columbia.
Bigger Workloads, Flat Pay and Unpaid Hours
The survey also points to the work side of the equation. Just over half of respondents — 52 per cent — said their workload had grown over the past year, and many said the compensation did not follow.
- Extra duties, same pay: 21 per cent said they had absorbed additional responsibilities without any increase in pay.
- Unpaid overtime: 15 per cent said they had worked hours they were not paid for.
- Deferred time off: 34 per cent said they had delayed holidays or personal leave.
Joshua Harris, chief executive officer of Harris & Partners, framed the combination as unsustainable. “Burnout, debt and unpaid labour are becoming part of everyday life,” he said in a statement accompanying the results, adding that the findings show how stretched Canadians currently are and describing the toll on mental health as significant.
When Money Worries Turn Into Delayed Health Care
One of the quieter findings may be the most consequential for employers and for the health system. Fourteen per cent of respondents said they had postponed seeking medical or mental-health support, and 20 per cent said they had trouble paying bills on time.
Deferred care rarely shows up in a benefits report right away. It tends to surface later as longer absences, more complex disability claims and higher drug and paramedical utilisation — which is why plan sponsors watch this kind of indicator even when it is not directly tied to a claim.
Financial Stress as a Retention Risk, Not Just a Wellness Issue
The retention signal in the data is hard to ignore. Fifty-five per cent of respondents said financial pressure had made them think about changing jobs or careers, and 11 per cent said they had already moved for that reason.
That reframes the issue for employers. A worker who is considering a jump because of money is not necessarily disengaged from the work itself — they are responding to a gap between what the role pays and what their life costs. Recruitment, onboarding and lost institutional knowledge all carry a price that does not appear on a wellness line item.
It also intersects with compensation planning. Canadian employers have been signalling a cautious, steady approach to 2027 salary budgets amid trade and economic uncertainty, which means the affordability gap described in this survey is unlikely to close quickly through pay increases alone.
The Macro Backdrop for Canadian Household Budgets
The survey does not attribute the results to any single economic cause, and no such attribution should be read into it. But it arrives in a period of elevated debt-service costs, renewal pressure on mortgages and cautious consumer sentiment.
Borrowing costs remain a central variable for households carrying balances, and our reporting on how mortgage rate forecasts have shifted as the Bank of Canada held its policy rate at 2.25 per cent covers how that pressure is currently being transmitted to borrowers. For workers already using credit for groceries, even small changes in carrying costs matter.
What Workplace Financial Wellness Support Usually Covers (General Context)
The survey itself does not recommend specific programs. The following is general industry context on the tools Canadian employers commonly use when financial stress shows up in employee data — not an endorsement of any product or an assessment of what would help in a given workplace.
- Employee and family assistance programs: Typically bundle short-term counselling with access to credit counselling or budgeting sessions.
- Financial education and coaching: Group sessions or one-on-one access covering budgeting, debt repayment sequencing and benefits utilisation.
- Pay-cycle and advance options: Some employers offer earned-wage access or emergency loan programs to reduce reliance on high-cost credit between pay periods.
- Retirement and savings plan design: Matching contributions, automatic escalation and emergency-savings sidecars aimed at building a cash buffer.
- Workload review: Where the survey points to added duties without added pay, job-scope and staffing audits address the cause rather than the symptom.
What to Watch Next
Harris & Partners has not announced a follow-up wave or a full methodology release, so the next data point on this question is not scheduled. What is worth tracking is whether the behaviours reported here — credit use for essentials, skipped meals, deferred care — start appearing in benefits utilisation data, disability claim durations and turnover figures through the rest of the fiscal year.
A note on interpretation: the figures above are self-reported survey responses, and no methodology or margin of error was published with them. Nothing here is financial or medical advice; readers dealing with debt or mental-health pressure should consult a licensed professional or a non-profit credit counselling service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who conducted the survey and how many people took part?
Harris & Partners conducted it, polling more than 1,700 Canadian employees. The results were released on September 10, 2026.
Does the survey say which industries or provinces were hit hardest?
No. No industry, provincial or demographic breakdown was included in the published findings.
What is the margin of error?
Not specified. The methodology and field dates were not published with the results.
What share of workers actually changed jobs because of money pressure?
Eleven per cent said they had already changed jobs or careers because of financial pressure, while 55 per cent said they had considered it.
Does the survey say employers are cutting pay?
No. It reports that 52 per cent saw workloads rise, with 21 per cent taking on extra duties without additional pay and 15 per cent working unpaid overtime — that is a compensation gap relative to added work, not a reported wage cut.
