More than 100,000 million euros per year. This is the annual cost of depression relating to work in the European Union, according to a study published on Monday from European Trade Union Institute (Etui).
The “Think Tank” identifies Five psychosocial risks At the origin of this mental illness:
Long working days
Insecurity of work
Imbalance between effort and reward
Moral harassment
These risks may have tragic consequencesAccording to the available data, which date back to 2015. “About 6,000 deaths from coronary heart disease were attributable to exposure to psychosocial risks and more than 5,000 The dead were due to Suicidescaused by depression“Explains Sonia Nawrocka, a researcher at the European Trade Union Institute.
According to the relationship, that same year More than 400,000 years of life have been lost due to cardiovascular diseases and depression. “These died avoidable,” writes Dimitra Theodori, head of the health and safety of the tie. According to the European Trade Union Institute, 8% of cardiovascular diseases and 23% of depressions are attributable to these psychosocial risks.
Entrepreneurs pay for depression
This relationship is the first to quantify the Economic cost not only of depressionbut also of the Cardiovascular diseasesIn particular, coronary heart disease and stroke, linked to psychosocial work factors, underlines the institute.
In this table, FranceBelgium, Finland, Ireland and the Netherlands are the five most affected countries in terms of cost for every 100,000 workers. This financial burden is shared by the employer and the worker, but sometimes asymmetrically.
“In the case of both diseases, we observe that the heaviest load falls on employees, but also on businessmen. In particular, as regards the cost of depression, we can estimate it More than 80% of the total cost of depression was attributable to psychosocial risks at work in 2015 in Europe“, Explica Sonia Nawrocka.
“This cost was paid by entrepreneurs due to the lack of productivity and the reduction of productivity caused by diseases and absenteeism,” explains Nawroock. The researcher also mentions presentism when employees They will work, but They produce less for health reasonsespecially mental.
These figures are based on 2015 data from Eurofond. The European Foundation for the improvement of living and working conditions a study on working conditions every five years, but the Pandemic Since 2020 he interrupted the polls. Therefore, Etui is waiting for the new survey this year to continue to continue his research and compare the health risks for health related to health.
In light of these results, the European Trade Union Institute asks the European Commission to present a text a strengthen prevention. Etui believes this directive Healthmental You should also provide an entrepreneurs guide.
However, researchers recognize that there is no unique response, since efforts to prevent these risks vary according to the workplace and work. The reflection group underlines, however, that the inclusion of workers In prevention processes it remains an essential element.
