About half of the people working in Pudong are stressed out because of skyrocketing property prices and fierce competition that is having an impact on their personal lives, a report released yesterday claimed.

Some 23 percent of the unmarried respondents said pressure at work has forced them to put aside their marriage plans because they don’t have time to even consider it.

The report released by the Pudong New Area Federation of Trade Unions said most of them could not attend matchmaking events, go on dates or maintain a relationship.

The survey, the first of its kind in Shanghai and spread over four months, polled workers across Pudong. It did not give the number of respondents.

“I suffered from intense pressure and slept only two hours once because of overwork,” complained a project manager surnamed Jin, who works with a software company in Pudong. “I just hope the company would hire more reliable staff next year as there is a definite shortage of staff,” he said.

He complained that his wife even blamed him for negligence in bringing up their two-year-old son because of his busy work schedule.

Only 5.2 percent said they felt no pressure from work.

Sleeping, travel, music and sports were the most common ways to relieve pressure, the report showed.

Stella Shen, a teacher at an English training center, said she hoped there were activities for white collars workers in Pudong.

“Exchange helps to ease pressure,” she said.

More than 40 percent of those surveyed said they had to work overtime. Many of them said they hoped to be compensated for their extra hours at work.

Real estate, information technology and finance were the three industries with the poorest record of employees working overtime.