Father's Day Blues? Burnout Index Hits 7-Year High! 5.5 Years Without a Raise, 94% Fear Mid-Career Unemployment

As Father’s Day approaches, working dads face mounting pressure as sole or primary breadwinners while worrying about job security. According to the latest 'Year of the Horse Survey on Working Fathers’ Realities and Mid-Career Crisis' released by yes123 Job Bank, the life fatigue index among working fathers has reached 81.5 points—its highest level in seven years. The average salary freeze of 5.5 years marks a 13-year high, and a staggering 94% of fathers admit to feeling anxious about mid-career unemployment.

The survey shows that 38.7% of working fathers are the sole financial providers in single-income households. Even in dual-income households, most fathers still shoulder the main or half of household expenses. However, working fathers have gone an average of 5.5 years without a pay raise—the longest period in 13 years—with 16.6% admitting they haven’t received a raise in over 10 years. Moreover, 70.6% have no disposable pocket money, as nearly all income goes toward household costs.

Excessive working hours and a culture of overtime are key drivers of burnout. On average, working fathers spend 11 hours per day on the job, with 84.8% working more than nine hours daily—placing them at high risk of overwork. They work overtime an average of 3.1 days per week, and 26.6% work overtime five or more days weekly. These long hours severely limit parent-child bonding time, allowing just 50.3 minutes on average with their children on workdays. Nearly 30% have zero quality time, and 88.2% admit they cannot balance career and family life.

Under chronic stress and overwork, the life fatigue index among working fathers has risen to 81.5 points, with 21.2% rating their personal index at a full 100 points. 56.7% say they haven’t had a single truly restful day all year, and 93.6% have wished to leave home temporarily just to breathe. On average, they hope to take 8.7 consecutive days off. For Father’s Day, the top three desired gifts are cash, domestic travel, and department store gift cards. Meanwhile, their deepest wishes are for their family’s health and one truly relaxing day off.

Working fathers rate their professional performance at an average of 79.8 points but give themselves only 43.5 points as fathers. Additionally, 78.3% feel stressed when their spouse earns more, yet 81.8% would willingly become stay-at-home dads if their partner could support the household financially. In such cases, they expect a reasonable monthly salary of NT$52,192.

Amid inflation and stagnant wages, 93.8% of working fathers worry about mid-career unemployment—the highest rate in 13 years. Key reasons include lack of specialized skills, age discrimination, and career advancement barriers. If unemployed, spouses are willing to tolerate an average of only 27 days of joblessness. Yang Tsung-pin, spokesperson for yes123 Job Bank, urges companies and the government to create supportive workplaces by offering on-the-job training and parenting subsidies to ease the burden on sandwiched-generation families.