New study shows anxiety and stress on the rise for UK professionals

While female professionals remain more likely to experience symptoms of anxiety, with 68 per cent reporting this, the number of men experiencing at least mild symptoms has seen a rapid increase from 38 per cent in 2022 to 60 per cent in 2023.

Financial worries continue to rise and are reported as the leading cause of stress outside of work, cited by 41 per cent, up from 37 per cent last year. Male workers were reported to be experiencing the most financial pressure, with 42 per cent of men citing it as the leading cause of stress, compared to 36 per cent of men last year.

The prevalence of thoughts of suicide and self-harm has increased to 13 per cent, up from 8 per cent in 2021 and 9 per cent in 2022.

Harry Bliss, CEO of Champion Health, said: “It’s no surprise that the last few years have been extremely tough on employees. The fact that workers experiencing suicidal thoughts are continuing to rise year-on-year is distressing, and a 44 per cent increase from last year is a statistic that cannot be ignored.

“The reality is that in a workforce of 1,000 staff, 130 will be having thoughts about taking their own lives, which could have a devastating impact.”

The number of 16-24-year-olds experiencing negative stress at work has also doubled since last year. The same age group cite financial pressure as a major cause of stress, an increase from 34 per cent to 46 per cent.

38 per cent of people said they were experiencing unhelpful or negative levels of stress in the workplace, while 53 per cent reported feeling down, depressed or hopeless.

Physical health symptoms have also increased, with 64 per cent of people reporting eye strain, 46 per cent reporting tired eyes, and 34 per cent experience headaches during the working day.