Stress Statistics

The estimated cases of work-related stress, both total and new cases, have remained broadly flat over the past decade.

The industries that reported the highest rates of total cases of work-related stress (three-year average) were human health and social work, education and public administration and defence.

The occupations that reported the highest rates of total cases of work-related stress (three-year average) were health professionals (in particular nurses), teaching and educational professionals, and caring personal services (in particular welfare and housing associate professionals).

The main work activities attributed by respondents as causing their work-related stress, or making it worse, was work pressure, lack of managerial support and work-related violence and bullying.

Large size workplaces were estimated to have significantly higher days lost per worker than both medium and small size workplaces in 2011/12.

Of the three workplace sizes, only the medium size has a statistically significantly lower rate in 2011/12 when compared to the figures in 2003/04.

The average annual working days lost officially certified as due to mental ill health under THOR GP between 2008 and 2010 is 6.2 million.

This represented 57% of the total of all reported days of sickness under THOR.

Whilst the figure recorded under THOR is lower than the estimates provided by the LFS it represents only the official diagnosis by those medical practitioners involved in the THOR scheme.

The GP reporting network (THOR) which collects information on work related diseases from general practitioners across GB ask patients diagnosed with work-related stress to identify the precipitating event that led them to that position.