Busy but Drained: Workers Say They Do Two Jobs for One Salary

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If your calendar looks full and your sense of accomplishment looks empty, you have company. Korn Ferry's third annual workforce study, based on more than 16,000 professionals in 11 countries, describes a workforce that is busier than ever and less sure it is getting anywhere.

Two Jobs, One Paycheck

62% of respondents said their workload has grown significantly over the past two years. 45% said they are too busy to deliver meaningful results, and 44% feel stretched beyond their capabilities. Perhaps most telling, 61% said they effectively carry the responsibilities of more than one role. Korn Ferry's Jenna Young warned that people stretched across two jobs are a retention risk, especially among top performers. The middle layer is thinning as well: 42% said their organization has cut the number of managers, and 39% said a lack of managers leaves them without direction. Nearly half, 49%, feel exhausted by the pace of change.

Motivation fell nine percentage points globally in a single year. When asked what matters most in a new role, workers put compensation (85%) and job security (83%) at the top, well ahead of anything about the work itself. That is less a love letter to the job than a careful reading of the contract.

AI: More Tasks First, Help Later

AI tools are not yet the relief many hoped for. 52% said AI has increased the number of tasks expected of them, and only just over half feel adequately trained. Yet once people actually used AI for a task, 63% said it made them more efficient. Korn Ferry's takeaway is that workers need hands-on chances to discover the value themselves rather than being told about it in a slide deck. The wider picture adds context: 64% say their employer prioritizes efficiency over finding new ways to add value, 52% say existing processes hold back their performance, and only 16% think their organization is good at turning new ideas into real change. People are running hard on a treadmill that someone else keeps speeding up.

Source: Workforce 2026: Growing Nowhere