diff --git a/config/alfresco/public-rest-context.xml b/config/alfresco/public-rest-context.xml
index a927bde1cb..9519b9f065 100644
--- a/config/alfresco/public-rest-context.xml
+++ b/config/alfresco/public-rest-context.xml
@@ -1011,6 +1011,7 @@
         <property name="messageService" ref="messageService" />
         <property name="personService" ref="PersonService" />
         <property name="propertyConverter" ref="activitiPropertyConverter" />
+        <property name="taskVariablesLimit" value="${system.workflow.engine.activiti.taskvariableslimit}" />
     </bean>
 
     <bean id="Tasks" class="org.springframework.aop.framework.ProxyFactoryBean">
diff --git a/source/java/org/alfresco/rest/workflow/api/impl/TasksImpl.java b/source/java/org/alfresco/rest/workflow/api/impl/TasksImpl.java
index a2feb2e4bc..49c6664796 100644
--- a/source/java/org/alfresco/rest/workflow/api/impl/TasksImpl.java
+++ b/source/java/org/alfresco/rest/workflow/api/impl/TasksImpl.java
@@ -138,6 +138,7 @@ public class TasksImpl extends WorkflowRestImpl implements Tasks
     private MessageService messageService;
     private PersonService personService;
     private ActivitiPropertyConverter propertyConverter;
+    private int taskVariablesLimit = 20000;
     
     public void setPropertyConverter(ActivitiPropertyConverter propertyConverter)
     {
@@ -159,6 +160,16 @@ public class TasksImpl extends WorkflowRestImpl implements Tasks
         this.personService = personService;
     }
     
+    public int getTaskVariablesLimit()
+    {
+        return taskVariablesLimit;
+    }
+    
+    public void setTaskVariablesLimit(int taskVariablesLimit)
+    {
+        this.taskVariablesLimit = taskVariablesLimit;
+    }
+    
     @Override
     public CollectionWithPagingInfo<Task> getTasks(Parameters parameters)
     {
@@ -293,6 +304,9 @@ public class TasksImpl extends WorkflowRestImpl implements Tasks
                 query.includeTaskLocalVariables();
             }
             
+            // use the limit set in alfresco-global.properties
+            query.limitTaskVariables(taskVariablesLimit);
+            
             List<QueryVariableHolder> variableProperties = propertyWalker.getVariableProperties();
             setQueryUsingVariables(query, variableProperties);
 
diff --git a/source/test-java/org/alfresco/rest/workflow/api/tests/TaskWorkflowApiTest.java b/source/test-java/org/alfresco/rest/workflow/api/tests/TaskWorkflowApiTest.java
index 47761b0e83..0f78aed998 100644
--- a/source/test-java/org/alfresco/rest/workflow/api/tests/TaskWorkflowApiTest.java
+++ b/source/test-java/org/alfresco/rest/workflow/api/tests/TaskWorkflowApiTest.java
@@ -1995,6 +1995,81 @@ public class TaskWorkflowApiTest extends EnterpriseWorkflowTestApi
         }
     }
     
+    @Test
+    public void testGetTasksWithPagingAndVariablesLimit() throws Exception 
+    {
+        RequestContext requestContext = initApiClientWithTestUser();
+        List<ProcessInstance> startedProcesses = new ArrayList<ProcessInstance>();
+        
+        // system.workflow.engine.activiti.taskvariableslimit is set to 200 in test-resources/alfresco-global.properties
+        try
+        {
+            // MNT-16040: Create tasks with a number of variables just below the taskvariableslimit and test that skipCount is working as expected.
+            int numberOfTasks = 15;
+            for (int i = 0; i < numberOfTasks; i++) 
+            {
+                startedProcesses.add(startAdhocProcess(requestContext.getRunAsUser(), requestContext.getNetworkId(), null));
+            }
+            TaskService taskService = activitiProcessEngine.getTaskService();
+            List<Task> taskList = new ArrayList<Task>();
+            for (int i = 0; i < numberOfTasks; i++) 
+            {
+                Task task = taskService.createTaskQuery().processInstanceId(startedProcesses.get(i).getProcessInstanceId()).singleResult();
+                taskService.setPriority(task.getId(), (i + 1) * 10);
+                
+                // Add an extra variable to the task, there are other 12 added, so a total of 13 variables for each task.
+                taskService.setVariableLocal(task.getId(), "test1", "test1");
+                taskList.add(task);
+            }
+            
+            TasksClient tasksClient = publicApiClient.tasksClient();
+            
+            // Test without skipCount
+            Map<String, String> params = new HashMap<String, String>();
+            params.put("where", "(includeProcessVariables = true AND includeTaskVariables = true)");
+            JSONObject taskListJSONObject = tasksClient.findTasks(params);
+            assertNotNull(taskListJSONObject);
+            JSONObject paginationJSON = (JSONObject) taskListJSONObject.get("pagination");
+            assertEquals(15l, paginationJSON.get("count"));
+            assertEquals(15l, paginationJSON.get("totalItems"));
+            assertEquals(0l, paginationJSON.get("skipCount"));
+            assertEquals(false, paginationJSON.get("hasMoreItems"));
+            JSONArray jsonEntries = (JSONArray) taskListJSONObject.get("entries");
+            assertEquals(15, jsonEntries.size());
+            
+            // Test with skipCount
+            params.clear();
+            params.put("skipCount", "5");
+            params.put("where", "(includeProcessVariables = true AND includeTaskVariables = true)");
+            taskListJSONObject = tasksClient.findTasks(params);
+            assertNotNull(taskListJSONObject);
+            paginationJSON = (JSONObject) taskListJSONObject.get("pagination");
+            assertEquals(10l, paginationJSON.get("count"));
+            assertEquals(15l, paginationJSON.get("totalItems"));
+            assertEquals(5l, paginationJSON.get("skipCount"));
+            assertEquals(false, paginationJSON.get("hasMoreItems"));
+            jsonEntries = (JSONArray) taskListJSONObject.get("entries");
+            assertEquals(10, jsonEntries.size());
+            
+            params.clear();
+            params.put("maxItems", "10");
+            params.put("where", "(includeProcessVariables = true AND includeTaskVariables = true)");
+            taskListJSONObject = tasksClient.findTasks(params);
+            assertNotNull(taskListJSONObject);
+            paginationJSON = (JSONObject) taskListJSONObject.get("pagination");
+            assertEquals(10l, paginationJSON.get("count"));
+            assertEquals(15l, paginationJSON.get("totalItems"));
+            assertEquals(0l, paginationJSON.get("skipCount"));
+            assertEquals(true, paginationJSON.get("hasMoreItems"));
+            jsonEntries = (JSONArray) taskListJSONObject.get("entries");
+            assertEquals(10, jsonEntries.size());
+        }
+        finally
+        {
+            cleanupProcessInstance(startedProcesses.toArray(new ProcessInstance[] {}));
+        }
+    }
+    
     protected void validateVariables(JSONObject entry, RequestContext requestContext) {
         JSONObject taskObject = (JSONObject) entry.get("entry");
         JSONArray variables = (JSONArray) taskObject.get("variables");
diff --git a/source/test-resources/alfresco-global.properties b/source/test-resources/alfresco-global.properties
index a9754d1e0d..654011a248 100644
--- a/source/test-resources/alfresco-global.properties
+++ b/source/test-resources/alfresco-global.properties
@@ -1,2 +1,4 @@
 opencmis.tck.readtimeout=10000
-opencmis.tck.connecttimeout=10000
\ No newline at end of file
+opencmis.tck.connecttimeout=10000
+
+system.workflow.engine.activiti.taskvariableslimit=200
\ No newline at end of file