The world of work has become more complex and is in a constant state of change. Does this mean that work for employees is becoming more intensive and stressful? This is a question currently asked about the situation of the working population. To provide initial answers, data from the BIBB/BAuA employment surveys 2006, 2012 and 2018 were analysed for this fact sheet. Each survey involved more than 17,000 dependent employees. The results show that the intensity of their work has remained at a relatively constant high level over time and has only partially decreased. In addition, more and more employees experience high-intensity work as a burden.