Work-related stress cases approach one million as absence costs rise, survey reveals

Nearly one million workers are experiencing work-related stress, depression or anxiety, according to data from the Health and Safety Executive’s Labour Force Survey.

The figures indicated that cases increased from 776,000 in 2023 to 964,000 in 2024/25, a rise of almost 25% in a year.

Stress-related conditions accounted for almost half of all self-reported work-related ill health.

The impact on employers was significant. Stress, depression and anxiety led to 22.1 million lost working days last year, with affected employees taking an average of nearly 23 days off per case.

Overall, sickness and injury accounted for 148.9 million lost working days in 2024, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Workplace health organisations have estimated poor mental wellbeing costs UK employers between £42bn and £45bn annually through absence, reduced productivity and staff turnover.

Dr Elisabetta Burchi, head of research at Parasym, said: “If nearly one in 30 UK workers is reporting stress-related illness, we have to question whether current preventative and interventional measures match the severity of the problem.

“We are still largely treating stress as a mindset issue, when the evidence shows it is a broader inter-systemic physiological response.”

Research into treatments has increasingly focused on regulating the body’s stress response systems, including the autonomic nervous system.

Technologies such as non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation are being explored as potential interventions to reduce anxiety and improve resilience, particularly in high-pressure sectors.

Burchi continued: “The scale of the increase in work-related stress should concern policymakers as well as employers.

“Psychological distress associated with a chronic state constitutes just the epiphenomenon of what is a biological state.

“When your body stays stuck in stress mode for too long, it stops doing its internal repair work. This wears you down and makes it much harder for you to bounce back from life’s challenges.

“Research increasingly shows that supporting the parasympathetic nervous system can improve markers such as heart rate variability and reduce anxiety symptoms, ultimately modulating the stress response towards a healthier balance.

“As stress-related illness rises, it is reasonable for organisations to consider whether workplace health strategies should address the physiological mechanisms underpinning stress, not just its symptoms.”