By Karl Simons OBE, Chief Futurist at FYLD

The construction sector has been plagued with problems associated with poor mental health for decades, exacerbated by the pandemic which forced sites to temporarily close down leaving many out of a job. Stress mounted on workers once sites opened again made worse by the realisation that projects had fallen behind and workloads would inevitably skyrocket. 

In June 2024, the health insurer, Vitality, announced the headline results of the UK’s largest workplace well-being survey, and some surprising statistics were revealed, shedding some light on a well-known issue in the construction industry; field worker mental health.

This 2024 survey, which captured the views of 4,000 workers and their employers, produced some staggering results that I’m able to share and discuss with you.  The outcomes found and verified show significant reductions in construction workers suffering from depression, burnout, taking time off work and poor mental health in general.  It also found significant uplifts in openness in conversations and employer support in general.

So, these latest statistics outlined below struck me as significantly lower than we are used to seeing, but extremely encouraging for the sector and those working within it. Taking this into account, I did some digging to better understand how mental health has evolved over the years in the construction sector, and how employers are changing the way they approach mental health in the workplace. The results are truly fascinating and worth a read:

1. Data shows stress, anxiety and burnout may have decreased in construction workers

The UK-based charity, Mates in Mind, which was established by the Health in Construction leadership Group (HGLG) with support from the British Safety Council, aims to improve mental health in the workplace. It published a report in 2020 which depicted frighteningly high levels of poor mental health in construction.

The survey quoted, which was commissioned by the global organisation the Chartered Institute of Building (CIoB), found that 97% of construction workers felt stressed and 87% felt anxiety at least once a year. These are exceptionally high results, suggesting that burnout was common.

These results were concerning because as we know, mental exhaustion can increase the likelihood of occupational safety hazards, resulting in serious workplace incidents and injuries.

Yet fast-forward four years and Vitality’s latest survey paints a far more positive picture. The survey recorded significantly lower levels of burnout within construction workers, recorded at only 13% in 2024, which shows significant improvement. 

2. Less construction workers reporting depression, but fatigue still an issue

The same CIoB report found that 70% of construction workers in 2020 experienced depression within the space of a year. Of course, 2020 was a year like no other; on the 23^rd March 2020 the Prime Minister at the time, Boris Johnson, announced the first UK lockdown which then came into effect on 26^th March, giving employees and employers almost no time to prepare, logistically or mentally. 

We can assume that these unique, and grim, circumstances would have had an impact on the way that construction workers felt during this period.

However, COVID is not the route cause of the issue. In 2006, the CIoB released the report, Occupational Stress in the Construction Industry, reporting that almost 70% of workers had 'suffered from stress, anxiety or depression as a direct result of working in the construction industry'. 

So, 14 years before the pandemic construction workers were reporting exceptionally high levels of poor mental health.

It is therefore positive to see Vitality’s 2024 report recording only 6% of construction workers have experienced depression within the last year. Despite this encouraging stat however, almost half (44%) said they felt fatigue or very tired at least once per week, demonstrating there are still problems to be addressed but the impact on mental health and well-being may be less severe. 

3. Data suggests that less workers are taking time off due to poor mental heath than in previous years

In 2022, Mates in Mind reported that almost half (48%) of construction workers had taken time off work due to stress within the last year. However two years later in 2024 this figure has almost been slashed in half as research from business insurer, QBE, has shown that 27% of construction workers have taken time off due to poor mental health in 2023-2024.

Of course, we can never be sure that everyone who has suffered from poor mental health has reported this as the reason for their time off work. It is likely that some chose not to reveal the real reason due to the ongoing stigma associated with mental health. However, the anonymous nature of the survey suggests honesty may be more likely and so indicates that there has been a significant decrease in workers taking time off due to symptoms such as depression, stress and anxiety.

As Deloitte reported recently, poor employee mental health costs UK employers £51billion a year, so any drop in construction workers taking time off has to be a good thing, not only for individual health and morale but for growth and prosperity in the sector.

4. More construction workers than ever are openly talking about mental health with their peers, new statistics indicate 

In 2022, the industry publication Construction News (CN) surveyed 1,200 construction workers and found that 53% of those surveyed said they did feel comfortable discussing their own mental health with their colleagues. Interestingly, when they asked the same group the same question in 2019, only 33% said they felt comfortable sharing details of their mental health with their peers.  

This means in the space of three years openness to discussing mental health in the workplace has grown by 20% in the construction sector. This shift indicates that construction workers feel less guarded and can be candid with their peers, showing a positive change in culture. This could be as a result of better awareness and understanding of mental health issues in general, but also as a result of high-profile campaigning by individuals and group to bring light to the issue of poor mental health in construction. 

5. Employers are reportedly more proactive when it comes to offering workers support on mental health than in previous years

The same 2022 survey by Construction News found that over half (59%) of construction workers feel that they did not receive the appropriate level of support from their managers when they were facing mental health challenges. Two years later, Vitality’s 2024 report found that 71% construction workers feel that their employer does play an active role in helping them maintain their well-being, marking a significant shift in the way that employers approach mental health. 

Further highlighting this, the research by QBE found that 27% of construction workers are uncomfortable discussing mental health with their employer, which means 73% are comfortable discussing mental health with an employer. Furthermore, one third (32%) of workers said their employer has never once checked in with them about their mental health, which means over half (68%) of employers are regularly checking in with their staff on their mental health.

Future change in a digital era

These reports portray a bright outlook should these trends continue, however we know that there are still challenges in the construction sector when it comes to workload management and resource planning, which can contribute to higher levels of stress and anxiety within the sector’s workforce when compared with the average of other sectors.

That said, the statistics clearly show positive trends in the sector driven by important cultural and behavioural changes, as well as meaningful conversations. Construction workers themselves have said that their employers are openly discussing mental health with them, which means they are equipped to communicate and offer proactive solutions to support better health and well-being.

The near future is looking is looking increasingly brighter, as I am seeing the green shoots of evidence beginning to show where solutions such as advanced AI-driven technology is beginning to make in-roads into reducing frustration levels for construction workers, as the capturing and analysing of data becomes easier enabling communication with remote managers to better understand the challenges faced by field teams in real time.

Furthermore, industry-leading AI solutions are equipping managers with unprecedented levels of real-time, remote visibility of sites, more opportunities for safety interventions and increased productivity. This is helping to drastically reduce workloads and stressful health and safety pressures on site, helping to mitigate stress-related illness.

By leveraging the power of these advanced digital solutions, talk becomes action. By taking a proactive approach, the United Kingdom is continuing to tackle the stigma around negative mental health in those working in high-risk field work environments, and ultimately, we can drive impactful behavioural change that protects both the physical and mental health of our field workers and the vital role they perform for the nation.