Work can be fatal: ILO report finds over 840,000 annual deaths from work-related stress

(SeaPRwire) –   When we enter the corporate world, we all abide by an unspoken agreement: work long hours, push twice as hard as the next person, and set aside sleep and a social life for enough time to climb the career ladder. And of course, you tolerate heavy stress from tight deadlines, worry over workplace bullies, and the constant dread of job insecurity, but you assume it will all be worth it in the end, right? Well, it turns out this relentless corporate rat race can actually kill you after all.

The current structure of modern work not only fuels symptoms of burnout, but it can also make people physically ill, and may ultimately lead to death. According to a new report from the International Labour Organization, more than 840,000 people die every year from health conditions connected to major psychosocial risks at work. The report analyzed how job strain, effort-reward mismatch, job insecurity, long working hours, and workplace bullying contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease and mental disorders.

The report, titled “The psychosocial working environment: Global developments and pathways for action”, estimates that work-related psychosocial risk factors are linked to 840,088 deaths each year worldwide, plus nearly 45 million disability-adjusted life years — a metric that counts healthy years lost to illness, disability, or early death. The ILO calculates that the total burden of cardiovascular disease and mental disorders tied to these workplace risks equals a 1.37% loss of global GDP every year.

The vast majority of the estimated death toll comes from cardiovascular disease: the ILO attributes 783,694 deaths to cardiovascular conditions like ischemic heart disease and stroke, compared to 56,394 deaths connected to mental disorders including depression. But mental disorders account for a larger share of lost healthy life years, which reflects the chronic, disabling nature of most mental health conditions.

The psychosocial impacts of work on a global scale

These findings attach a concrete number to common terms we have heard for decades around overworking: burnout, stress, disengagement, toxic culture, and low morale.

The ILO defines the psychosocial working environment as how jobs are designed, how work is organized and managed, and the broader policies and practices that rule day-to-day working life. When these systems are poorly designed, hazards can develop from excessive demands, little employee control, unclear roles, insufficient support, unstable work arrangements, harassment, discrimination, or a mismatch between effort and reward.

Long working hours remain one of the biggest and most measurable contributing factors, with the report noting 35% of workers globally work more than 48 hours a week — occupational health research typically defines long working hours as 55 hours or more per week. Earlier estimates tied roughly 745,000 annual deaths to long working hours, mostly through ischemic heart disease and stroke.

Across the world, some regions and countries face far heavier burdens than others. In 2019, 47% of workers in Asia and the Pacific worked more than 48 hours a week, compared to the global average of 35%. Long hours are more common in informal employment than formal work, affecting 41% of informal workers versus 28% of formal workers respectively. Wholesale and retail trade, transport and communications, and manufacturing are among the sectors with the highest reported burden of long working hours.

Bullying and harassment are another major component of workplace health outcomes. The ILO estimates 23% of workers globally have experienced at least one form of violence or harassment during their career, with psychological violence the most commonly reported type at 18%. Nine percent of workers reported physical violence, and 6% reported sexual violence or harassment, with women reporting higher exposure to sexual violence and harassment than men.

The ILO argues psychosocial risks should be managed through occupational safety and health systems, with policies that address the design and organization of work itself. It calls for better national data collection, clearer regulation, stronger enforcement and guidance, and workplace-level changes such as reviewing workloads, staffing levels, task allocation, supervision, working hours, and systems that allow workers to raise concerns.