$406bn cost | Working America's worsening loneliness crisis is reaching fever pitch

The past five years of great change in the workplace have illuminated and intensified an existing crisis in America: The epidemic of loneliness.

Despite the surge in remote communication and social media usage, more than half of U.S. adults (about 58%, according to research by HBR) are currently considered lonely.

Whilst many may presume that this is a crisis entirely of COVID’s making, this worrying statistic has in fact remained relatively unchanged from pre-pandemic levels, where 61% of adults reported feeling lonely in 2019.

And whilst workers in the US seem to be particularly susceptible to feelings of isolation and therefore loneliness, the pervasive nature of solitude cuts across all demographic lines. This isn’t to say, however, that certain groups are disproportionately affected.