Psychological health and safety statistics

Research is continually evolving in the field of psychological health and safety. With the help of researchers under the supervision of Dr. Heather Stuart from Queen's University, these statistics were updated in 2024. The research team endeavored to provide credible, generalizable and relevant statistics that you can use to support the business case for psychological health and safety in your organization.

Psychological health and safety

Mental Health Research Canada provides an interactive online dashboard so you can explore the results of their 2023 survey of 5505 working Canadians using the Guarding Minds at Work (Samra et al., 2009-2020) assessment for psychological health and safety in the workplace.

• Employers that support their employees' mental health see a return of $4 for every dollar they invest in employee mental health treatments (National Safety Council, 2021). 
• Raising awareness for and promoting mental health literacy in the workplace, as well as making mental health a workplace priority, can improve mental health and help minimize the economic costs of mental illness (Deloitte, 2022). 
• Employer-sponsored mental health programs are associated with less workplace absenteeism, higher employee retention, and improvements in depression and anxiety (Bondar et al., 2022).
• 54% of Canadian employees feel that social and psychological support is regularly available to them at work (Mental Health Research Canada, 2023). 

Impact of the National Standard

The following statistics highlight the positive impact on organizations implementing the National Standard of Canada on Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (the Standard) compared to those who are not.

• In organizations implementing the Standard, 5% of employees say their workplace is psychologically unhealthy, compared to 13% in organizations that are not implementing the Standard who say their workplace is psychologically unhealthy or unsafe (Ipsos Reid, 2017a).
• At organizations that are implementing the Standard, employees who are or have experienced depression are missing less time (7.4 days per year) from work compared to those whose organization is not implementing the Standard (12.5 days) (Ipsos Reid, 2017a).
• 26.3% of unionized and 23.2% of non-unionized respondents say their organization was actively involved in implementing the Standard or in ongoing efforts to maintain and improve key elements of the Standard (Ipsos Reid, 2017a).
• There is a need for workplaces to invest in initiatives that promote positive workplace mental health to reduce psychological distress generally, as well as to protect employees from the negative impact of work stress (Page et al., 2014).

Management competence impacts employee mental health

• 1 in 3 managers (34%) reported that their employees have expressed mental health concerns in the past year (Telus Health, 2023). 
• Only 1 in 3 managers (32%) strongly agree that they notice when an employee is disengaged and try to help them solve the problems they’re facing. The same proportion strongly agree they refer employees experiencing mental health issues, distress, or disabilities to appropriate resources in their organization or community (Mental Health Research Canada, 2021).
• Managers surveyed (49%) strongly agree they promptly respond to employee concerns about physical safety; however, only 41% strongly agree they effectively address and resolve situations that could threaten or harm the psychological health and safety of employees (Mental Health Research Canada, 2021).
• 1 in 3 of employees (37%) feel their managers would respond in an effective and timely manner to physical safety risks, while only 29% feel their managers would effectively respond to measures that would threaten their psychological health and safety (Mental Health Research Canada, 2022b).
• Offering mental health training to managers is a predictor for below-average levels of absenteeism related to long-term mental illness (Hassard et al., 2024).

Mental health is a workplace issue

• The Mental Health Commission of Canada found that in any given week, 500,000 Canadians miss work due to a psychological health issue (Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2023).  
• On average, Canadian employees miss 2.4 days of work a year due to stress or mental health reasons (Government of Canada, 2024).
• 1 in 5 working Canadians (21%) report that they experience high or very high levels of work-related stress (Government of Canada, 2023a).
• 1 in 5 Canadian employees (21%) report frequently experiencing burnout from work (Government of Canada, 2024).
• The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (2021) reports that 3 in 4 Canadian workers (77%) report that they would feel uncomfortable talking about a mental health problem with their employer. 
• Nearly 2 in 5 employees (38%) feel comfortable telling their managers about physical safety risks, while only 29% feel comfortable telling their managers about psychological safety risks (Mental Health Research Canada, 2022b).

Mental illness affects many

• Approximately 1 in 5  of Canadians (18%) meet the diagnostic criteria for a mental illness or substance use disorder in any given year. However, only half of these (49%) reported speaking with a health professional about their mental health in the past year (Stephensen, 2023).
• Improving access to mental health services is one of the top priorities in healthcare, with 93% of doctors reporting that there are shortages of mental health and addiction services in their communities (Ontario Medical Association, 2022).
• Depression is one of the most common chronic conditions in Canadian adults (Queenan et al., 2021).
• It is important to regularly take care of our mental health. Engaging in behaviours that promote positive mental health can lead to:
  • The prevention of some mental illnesses
  • Improved physical health 
  • Strengthened individuals and communities
  • Reduced stigma toward mental illness (Government of Canada, 2022) 
• Behaviours that promote positive mental health can include: 
  • Eating and sleeping well
  • Being physically active
  • Fostering positive social relationships (Government of Canada, 2022) 

Mental and physical health are linked

• Depression and anxiety disorders increase the risk of cancer by 15%. Overall depression and anxiety increase the risk of dying of cancer by 24% (Wang & Karpinski, 2020). 
• High job strain (defined as the combination of high job demands and low job control) increases the risk of cardiovascular disease mortality by 224% (Matthews & Li, 2023).
• Pre-existing mental disorders increase the overall risk of a subsequent medical condition by 137%. Mood disorders (such as depression) increase the risk of circulatory conditions by 132% (Momen et al, 2020). 
• Obesity increases the likelihood of depression by 33% (Jokela & Laakasuo, 2023).
• Depressive symptoms may increase risk of poor outcomes in chronic heart failure (such as hospitalization, death, transplantation) by 68% (Abou Kamer et al., 2024).
• The co-occurrence of depression and diabetes increases risk of death from cancer by 216% and death by circulatory disease by 222% (Prigge et al., 2022).
• Depression frequently occurs alongside anxiety, asthma, obesity, and gastrointestinal disorders across all age groups. Hypertension and high cholesterol appear in as many as 31.6% and 31.1% of people with depression, respectively (Kuan et al., 2023).  
• People with anxiety may be 140% more likely to develop hypertension (Lim et al., 2021).
• Mood disorders such as depression and anxiety increase the risk of vertigo by 131% (Kim et al., 2021).

Absenteeism and disability costs

• Mental health-related disabilities are among the most common types of disability in Canada, and have experienced the largest increase out of all disabilities (Statistics Canada, 2023c).
• On average, mental illness accounts for 30-40% of short-term disability claims and 30% of long-term disability claims in Canada. The prevalence of claims for mental health diagnoses increases by 0.5-1% every year (Chapman, et al., 2019).
• A favourable workplace climate is associated with employee participation in mental wellness programs (Tringali et al., 2022).
• The Deloitte Insights report (2019) shows that mental health programs running for up to three years had a median yearly return on investment (ROI) of $1.62 for every dollar invested. Programs running for over three years had an ROI of $2.18.
• Leadership models that promote psychologically heathy workplaces are associated with psychological safety at work (Biricik Gulseren et al., 2021).
• Employees report less stress and are more likely to take time off for mental health when provided with more paid personal or flex days (Thibault et al., 2023). 
• The cost of hours lost to psychological distress-related absenteeism in a year is $2,337 per person for older female workers and $2,796 per person for older male workers (Gilbert-Ouimet et al., 2023).
• Employees with a mental/cognitive disability report that the most commonly unmet workplace accommodation needs are work modifications (35.9%) and workplace flexibility (19.6%). These unmet needs are more common for women in female-dominant occupations (Jessiman-Perreault et al., 2024).
• 6.6% of the North American Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is attributable to mental disorders (Arias et al., 2022).
• The cost to Canadian companies in lost productivity per year due to workers calling in sick as a result of mental health issues is estimated at $16.6 billion (Mercer, 2018).  
• 1 in 4 employees (24.5%) has reported working despite experiencing stress, anxiety, and/or depression or other mental health issues (Thibault et al., 2023).
• 1 in 5 employed Canadians (21%) reported experiencing high or very high levels of work-related stress (Statistics Canada, 2023).

Share this with anyone who is looking for relevant statistics about psychological health and safety.

Additional resources

• Evidence for psychological health and safety. A literature review of studies demonstrating how factors that impact psychological health and safety also have a positive impact on business goals and objectives.
• Is your organization at risk for burnout? | PDF. A tool to help assess your organization’s response to work-related stress. 
• Psychological health and safety cost benefits. Support psychological health and safety at work by establishing costs and learning about legal trends. Also consider the cost of doing nothing.
• Where do we start with psychological health and safety? Not sure where to begin in addressing psychological health and safety in your workplace? We can help. You will find steps to get buy-in, communicate the plan and support continual improvement.