A new global report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) has found that more than 840,000 people die each year from health conditions linked to psychosocial risks in the workplace, highlighting what it describes as a growing global challenge to worker health, productivity, and economic stability.

The findings attribute these deaths primarily to cardiovascular diseases and mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, and suicide, and point to structural workplace conditions such as long working hours, job insecurity, high workloads, low job control, and workplace harassment as key drivers of risk.

The ILO report estimates that psychosocial risks are responsible for nearly 45 million disability-adjusted life years lost annually, reflecting years of healthy life lost through illness, disability, or premature death. It also places the global economic cost at approximately 1.37 per cent of global GDP each year, underscoring the scale of both human and financial impact.

The report, titled “The Psychosocial Working Environment: Global Developments and Pathways for Action,” contends that workplace design and management practices are becoming increasingly important in understanding health outcomes in modern labour markets. It warns that unless coordinated action is taken, these risks may worsen alongside significant changes in how work is conducted globally.

The International Labour Organization explained that the psychosocial working environment is made up of a variety of factors that affect how people perceive their jobs, including job design, organisational structures, management techniques, and workplace policies. These factors affect not only the well-being of employees but also the performance of organisations and their long-term financial sustainability.

Additionally, it found three interrelated categories of psychosocial risk. The first is the job’s inherent characteristics, such as burden, task complexity, skill application, and resource availability. The second relates to work management and organization, including work intensity, role clarity, autonomy, and supervision. The third pertains to more comprehensive organisational structures, including employment contracts, performance assessment techniques, digital surveillance, and harassment and assault regulations.

The report further stresses that these risks are not inevitable and can be reduced through improved workplace design, stronger organisational policies, and effective consultation between employers, workers, and governments. It calls for psychosocial risk management to be fully integrated into occupational safety and health systems.

Science Behind the Global Workplace Stress Crisis

The estimate of 840,000 deaths per year was derived from an epidemiological studies and global exposure statistics. The study looked at five main psychosocial risk factors: long work hours, job insecurity, effort-reward imbalance, job strain, and bullying and harassment at work. The contribution of these exposure levels to global death and disability was then estimated by combining them with global health statistics from the World Health Organization and the Global Burden of Disease research.

Beyond mental illness and cardiovascular disease, the data also shows that psychosocial hazards are associated with a wide range of health outcomes. These include chronic stress-related ailments, musculoskeletal disorders, metabolic abnormalities, and sleep disruptions, all of which can drastically lower productivity and quality of life.

The report also states that fundamental changes in the global labour market are changing the psychosocial working environment. Digitalisation, artificial intelligence, remote and hybrid work, and the rise of non-traditional employment arrangements are all influencing how work is structured and controlled.

While these advancements might lead to more flexibility and efficiency, the report warns that they can also increase stress, uncertainty, and workload demands if not managed appropriately. It also emphasises the importance of proactive regulation to ensure that technological and organizational development does not exacerbate existing inequities or introduce new hazards.

According to the report, psychosocial risks are becoming one of the most significant occupational safety and health challenges of the modern era.

Manal Azzi, Team Lead on OSH Policy and Systems at the ILO, indicated that, “Psychosocial risks are becoming one of the most significant challenges for occupational safety and health in the modern world of work.”

“Improving the psychosocial working environment is essential not only for protecting workers’ mental and physical health, but also for strengthening productivity, organizational performance and sustainable economic development.”
Manal Azzi

The report also indicate that proactively tackling psychosocial hazards could result in significant benefits for both employees and businesses. It contends that better-designed workplaces can minimise disease, improve wellbeing, and increase productivity, all while lowering long-term economic costs associated with lost labour and healthcare burdens.

Ultimately, the report encourage governments to tighten labour rules, employers to rethink work organisation techniques, and social partners to cooperate more closely together to identify and mitigate hazards.