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North American employees are experiencing the highest daily stress levels in the world during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey by Gallup.

It found employees’ daily stress levels increased by eight percentage points to 57 per cent, compared with 43 per cent globally. Despite this increase, Canadian and U.S. employees said their engagement levels rose during the pandemic by two percentage points to 34 per cent, compared with 20 per cent globally.

Read: Shifting workplace norms causing mental distress for Canadian workers: report

North American employees’ daily levels of worrying increased by 10 percentage points during the pandemic to 48 per cent compared to the rest of the world, which remained at 41 per cent. Two-thirds (62 per cent) of working women said they experienced stress daily, compared to 52 per cent of their male counterparts. Half (52 per cent) of working women said they worried daily, compared to 43 per cent of men.

As a result of those gender disparities, North American men (58 per cent) reported higher levels of thriving than women (53 per cent). And while Canadian and U.S. workers reported lower levels of thriving during the pandemic at 56 per cent, this was higher than those in the rest of the world at 32 per cent.

“The trends among U.S. and Canadian workers are similar with slight increases in employee engagement but also increases in daily stress,” said Jim Harter, chief workplace scientist at Gallup, in a press release. “Though they found themselves even more involved in their work, increased daily stress may put them at high risk of burnout.”

Read: Canadians worrying about financial stress, job loss and retirement amid pandemic: survey