Stress statistics
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The HSE has published some data on stress and how many people are affected. The following is what the HSE say.
Work-related stress, depression or anxiety is defined as a harmful reaction people have to undue pressures and demands placed on them at work.
The latest estimates from the Labour Force Survey show: The total number of cases of work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2019/20 was 828,000, a prevalence rate of 2,440 per 100,000 workers. This was significantly higher than the previous period.
The rate of work-related stress depression and anxiety has increased in recent years.
The number of new cases was 347,000, an incidence rate of 1,020 per 100,000 workers. The total number of working days lost due to this condition in 2019/20 was 17.9 million days. This equated to an average of 21.6 days lost per case. Working days lost per worker due to self-reported work-related stress, depression or anxiety shows no clear trend.
In 2019/20 stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 51% of all work-related ill health cases and 55% of all working days lost due to work-related ill health.
Stress, depression or anxiety is more prevalent in public service industries, such as education; health and social care; and public administration and defence.
The main work factors cited by respondents as causing work-related stress, depression or anxiety were workload pressures, including tight deadlines and too much responsibility and a lack of managerial support.
Disruption to the economy towards the end of 2019/20 due to the emergence of COVID-19 as a national health issue, has the potential to impact workplace injury and work-related ill-health data for future years.
For more information, visit the HSE website.