Pressure of work takes its toll

Nearly 90 percent of Chinese staff in foreign companies suffer from work-related illnesses, according to a recent survey by the Horizon Research Consultancy Group.

Landing a well-paid job in a foreign company is something millions of China's jobseekers dream of, but the findings of a recent survey may change their minds.

Nearly 90 percent of Chinese staff in foreign companies suffer fromwork-related illnesses, according to a recent survey by the Horizon Research Consultancy Group.

Of the 1,521 respondents working for foreign companies, 91 percent reported symptoms such asburnout, stress, frustration, lack of sleep or numbness in the neck and shoulders after work, said Horizon. Those interviewed cited a total of 27 work-related symptoms.

Interviews were carried out over the telephone, via e-mail or fax or face to face in four cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Wuhan.

And 15.4 percent of those surveyed said they suffered from at least seven symptoms, which could lead to abreakdownor serious illness according to Horizon analysts.

Another 5 percent said they suffered from at least 10 symptoms, which indicated they were extremely overworked, said Horizon.

Half of the respondents said they did little physical exercise, while many complained about working more than 10 hours a day, returning home late at night and having to work over weekends.

Of the most common symptoms of interviewees, 30 percent said they suffered from poor memory, as well as stress, mood swings and accelerated aging.

Middle-aged, highly paid employees were more vulnerable to work-related illnesses, according to the survey.

About 15.8 percent of the middle-aged respondents said they showed at least seven symptoms.

Of the group earning more than 8,000 yuan (,025) a month, 19 percent said they suffered at least seven symptoms of being overworked. 

A lack of regular health checks and an unhealthy lifestyle, including drinking, smoking and skipping breakfast also made matters worse, according to the survey.

能在外企谋得一份高收入的工作是数百万中国求职者的梦想，然而，最近的一个调查可能会改变他们的想法。

零点研究咨询集团最近开展的一项调查显示，外企中近90%的中国员工患有职业病。

据零点研究咨询集团介绍，在1521名外企受访员工中，91%的人说下班后会出现疲劳、压力大、情绪低落、睡眠不足以及颈部和肩膀发麻等症状。这些受访者共列举了27种职业病症状。

此次调查主要通过电话、电子邮件、传真以及面对面的形式进行，调查地点包括北京、上海、广州和武汉四个城市。

调查显示，15.4%的受访者说他们至少有七种职业病症状，而这些症状则会导致精神衰弱或严重疾病。

另有5%的受访者称自己至少有十种症状，这说明他们的工作已极度超负荷。

有一半的受访者说他们很少锻炼身体，还有很多人抱怨他们每天要工作十小时以上，晚上很晚才能回家，而且周末还得加班。

30%的受访者说他们记忆力减退、压力大、情绪不稳定，而且衰老加快，这些是职业病最为普遍的几种症状。

调查显示，中年雇员和高薪雇员更容易患上职业病。

约15.8%的中年受访者说他们至少有七种症状。

月薪在8000元（1025美元）以上的受访群体中，19%的人说由于过度工作，他们至少出现了七种职业病症状。

调查表明，缺乏定期体检，以及抽烟、喝酒和不吃早餐等不健康的生活方式也是问题加剧的主要原因。