Yes, you are more stressed than last year

ED RICHARDSON SOME 65% of South African business owners claim to be more stressed than a year ago according to Grant Thornton’s 2006 International Business Owners Survey (IBOS). While this is a significant increase from 50% in 2005, South Africa’s ranking in the global stress table has fallen from 3rd to joint 7th position. This can be attributed to an overall increase in global stress levels with 50% of all business owners internationally reporting to be more stressed than they were twelve months ago. In South Africa, business owners in Port Elizabeth and East London are once again the most stressed, reporting a 76% increase in work-related stress. This is followed by Durban (67%) and Gauteng (65%). The manufacturing sector reported the highest increase in stress with 71% of business owners feeling more stressed than last year. This is followed by the service (67%) and retail (61%) sectors. The construction sector experienced the least increase in stress levels at 54%. As in 2005, Taiwan (89%) has the highest increase in stress from 2005. While Europe experienced the lowest stress increase in the survey, stress levels rose in line with the overall trend.