More than 100 billion euros per year. This is the annual cost of depression linked to work in the European Union, according to a study published Monday by the European Union Institute (ETUI).
The reflection group has identified five psychosocial risks behind the mental illness:
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Stress at work
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Long working hours
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insecure of work
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imbalance between effort and reward
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moral harassment.
These risks can have tragic consequences, depending on the available data, which dates back to 2015.
“About 6,000 deaths by coronary disease were attributable to exposure to psychosocial risks and more than 5,000 deaths were due to suicides caused by depression,” said Sonia Nawrocka, researcher to Etui.
The same year, more than 400,000 years of life were lost due to cardiovascular disease and depression, according to the report.
“These are avoidable deaths,” writes Dimitra Theodori, head of health and security in Etui.
According to the Institute, 8% of cardiovascular diseases and 23% of depression cases are attributable to these psychosocial risks.
Employers pay for depression
The report is the first to quantify the economic cost not only of depression, but also cardiovascular diseases, in particular coronary diseases and cerebral vascular accidents, linked to psychosocial work factors, explains the Institute.
In this table, France, Belgium, Finland, Ireland and the Netherlands are the five most affected countries in terms of cost per 100,000 workers.
This financial burden is shared by the employer and the employee, but sometimes asymmetrically.
“For both diseases, we found that the heaviest burden had come across employees, but also on employers.
“This cost was paid by employers due to a lack of productivity and a reduction in productivity caused by the disease and the absence.”
The researcher also mentions the presence of presentation, when employees work but allow less well for health reasons, especially mental health.
These figures are based on Eurofound 2015 data. The European Foundation for the improvement of living and working conditions publishes a study on working conditions every five years, but the pandemic in 2020 disrupted surveys.
ETUI is therefore waiting for the new survey to be published this year so that it can continue its research and compare the health risk trends linked to work.
In light of these results, the European Union Institute calls on the European Commission to present a text to strengthen prevention. ETUI believes that this mental health directive should also provide advice to employers.
ADVERTISEMENTHowever, researchers recognize that there is no unique response, as efforts to prevent these risks vary depending on the workplace and labor. The reflection group stresses, however, that the inclusion of workers in prevention processes remains an essential element.
