Workplace stress is killing over 10,000 people a year in Europe, according to a new analysis based on research by the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) – which is speaking of an "epidemic."
Nearly 5,000 people across the 27 EU Member States and the United Kingdom die as a result of suicide caused by work-related depression every year, and over 6,000 people die from coronary heart disease attributable to psychosocial risks at work. Taken together, this means psychosocial risks are a greater danger to workers than physical accidents, which killed 3,286 people in the EU in 2022.
"If over 10,000 people a year were killed at work because of physical risks, the Commission would rightly be taking urgent action to make workplaces safer. They cannot sit on their hands because people are losing their lives due to psychosocial risks," said Giulio Romani, Confederal Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).
The world of work is changing rapidly, "and the laws protecting people's health at work must keep pace," he stressed, pointing to the huge rise in telework and digitalisation since the Covid-19 pandemic. "This has further blurred the boundaries between work and personal life, leading to longer working hours and an always-on-call culture that has taken a severe toll on workers' health."
The report was published based on data from 2015, which was the latest available. "We are waiting for the newest Eurofound survey data to check the impact of psychosocial risks at work in the post-pandemic world of work," said Dr Sonia Nawrocka, who coordinated the study.
"But the prevalence of psychosocial risks at work has increased in the EU, and mental health problems (the sick leave due to mental health issues) are on the rise," she told The Brussels Times. "We have a strong suspicion that the problem is much bigger now than it was in 2015."
Legal obligation
Women workers are disproportionately affected by psychosocial risks, such as long working hours, job insecurity and workplace bullying. Additionally, there is also a geographic imbalance: deaths linked to workplace stress are more prevalent in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe.
Since the beginning of the 1990s, many central and eastern European countries have experienced rapid structural and occupational changes, which have occurred more quickly than in advanced economies.
Additionally, the ETUC emphasised that these deaths are preventable, and tackling them would save companies and governments tens of billions a year.
Therefore, they are calling again on the European Commission to urgently bring forward a directive on psychosocial risks as part of a Quality Jobs Package. This directive should set binding obligations on employers to identify psychosocial risks through proper risk assessments, with the involvement of workers and trade unions.
"EU data shows a legal obligation is the motivator of nine in ten European companies to take action on health and safety at work, but currently there is no EU legislation dedicated to psychosocial risks at work."
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The mission letter of Social Rights Commissioner Roxana Mînzatu states that she "should work on improving Europe's approach to occupational health and safety, ensuring healthier workplaces and mental health at work."
"If the EU is truly committed to building a future of fair, inclusive, and sustainable employment, then the Quality Jobs Package must include a robust Directive on preventing work-related psychosocial risks," said ETUC General Secretary Esther Lynch.
"The world of work is changing – rapidly, profoundly, and permanently. Digitalisation, AI robotics, platform work, and the green transition, are reshaping how we labour and live," she said. "But while these transformations offer new opportunities, they also bring new dangers."
Chief among them are the increasing psychosocial risks faced by workers: stress, burnout, anxiety, harassment, isolation, and emotional exhaustion.
"These are not fringe issues. They are systemic, and they are escalating," Lynch stressed. "The EU has long been a global standard-setter in workers’ rights. We led the way on physical safety. Now we must lead the way on mental safety."
