Study shows 82% of workers in Asia have high to moderate mental health risk

Eighty-two per cent of workers in Asia have a high to moderate mental health risk, which highlights a growing concern about workplace well-being in Asia, a study published on Thursday (September 14) has revealed. The joint study done by AON and TELUS Health explored mental health and its impact on productivity across 12 countries in Asia including India, Japan, Indonesia, South Korea and Singapore.

"The insights from the report aim to improve understanding of the mental health risk of employees and help businesses make better decisions to manage employee mental health and increase workforce resilience," the study said.

"The strong likelihood of workers developing a mental issue - 30 per cent of those who reported being high-risk and 7 per cent of those with moderate risk - means there is increased risk of lower productivity and financial risk for organisations," the study added.

The key findings

The key findings of the study said that 45 per cent of respondents across Asia reported their mental health was negatively impacting their work while stress, anxiety and burnout are on the rise. Fifty-one per cent of employees reported feeling more sensitive to stress this year compared to 2022, the study said, adding that 30 per cent of workers were finding it difficult to concentrate on their work.

Also, 47 per cent of employees reported ending their day feeling mentally or physically exhausted.

The study also said that workers in Asia managing growing work, home and social pressures, the stigma surrounding mental health and the impact of the Covid pandemic contributed to the deterioration of mental health.

"54 per cent of employees believe their career options would be limited if their employer knew they had a mental health issue, while 49 per cent said they would worry that friends and family would treat them differently and 49 per cent reported they would feel negatively about themselves," the study further added.

The difficulties in accessing mental health support

As per the study, 43 per cent of the respondents said that cost was the number one barrier to accessing mental health support. "Lack of information and knowledge of where to get help also ranked high among respondents, with nearly one-third not knowing what type of care they need or where to go," the study said.

The respondents also rated stigma in their top four responses when it came to getting access to mental health support.

“Organisations that do not implement support structures or choose to dismiss the impact of mental health in their workplace will realise there is a significant cost in doing nothing,” said Tim Dwyer, chief executive officer, of Health Solutions, Asia Pacific, Aon.

Meanwhile, Jamie MacLennan, managing director of APAC, TELUS Health, said that far too many people in Asia were dealing with elevated stress, anxiety, isolation and depression which had a direct correlation to workplace productivity.

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