ILO Report Links Work-Related Psychosocial Risks to Over 840,000 Annual Deaths Worldwide

The report, titled “The psychosocial working environment: Global developments and pathways for action,” attributes these deaths to factors including long working hours, job insecurity, workplace bullying, job strain, and effort-reward imbalance. These elements are linked to cardiovascular diseases and mental disorders.

The ILO calculates that these risks are associated with 840,088 deaths each year and nearly 45 million disability-adjusted life years lost, a measure combining years of healthy life lost due to illness, disability, or early death. Of the deaths, 783,694 are attributed to cardiovascular conditions like ischemic heart disease and stroke, while 56,394 are linked to mental disorders such as depression.

Mental disorders account for a larger portion of the healthy life years lost due to their chronic nature.

The combined burden from these health issues equates to an annual loss of 1.37% of global gross domestic product, according to the ILO. The organization defines the psychosocial working environment as encompassing job design, work organization, management practices, and broader policies affecting daily work life.

Poorly designed systems can lead to hazards from excessive demands, low job control, unclear roles, weak support, unstable arrangements, harassment, discrimination, or imbalances between effort and reward. Long working hours are identified as a significant factor, with 35% of workers globally working more than 48 hours per week.

The report notes that occupational health research often considers 55 hours or more per week as long hours. Previous estimates have linked long working hours to approximately 745,000 annual deaths, primarily from ischemic heart disease and stroke.

In 2019, 47% of workers in Asia and the Pacific worked more than 48 hours per week, compared to the global average of 35%. Long hours were more prevalent in informal employment (41%) than in formal employment (28%). Sectors with high rates include wholesale and retail trade, transport and communications, and manufacturing.

Workplace violence and harassment also contribute, with the ILO estimating that 23% of workers globally have experienced at least one form during their working life. Psychological violence is the most common at 18%, followed by physical violence at 9% and sexual violence or harassment at 6%.

Women report higher exposure to sexual violence and harassment than men.

The ILO recommends managing psychosocial risks through occupational safety and health systems. This includes policies to improve work design and organization, better national data collection, clearer regulations, stronger enforcement, and guidance. At the workplace level, suggestions include reviewing workloads, staffing, task allocation, supervision, working hours, and mechanisms for workers to raise concerns.