A third of Gen Z workers took time off due to stress last year, shock survey finds

A THIRD of Gen Z workers took time off due to stress last year, a survey found.

Under 25s were most likely to take a mental health sick day than any other age group.

Last year, 35 per cent of those aged 18 to 24 took time out to deal with ­pressure or upset, Mental Health UK discovered.

The charity said the figures exposed a generational divide in coping with life’s stresses and strains.

Nine in ten staff across all ages reported stress but younger people appeared more prone to burnout.

The sick rate was 29 per cent for 25 to 34-year-olds; 25 per cent for 35 to 44-year-olds; 14 per cent for over-45s and just ten per cent for the over-55s.

Mental Health UK chief executive Brian Dow said: “It is young people most at risk of high stress in the workplace.

“The gap between generations is widening and employers risk losing out on the newest generation of workers. Many organisations still offer 20th century mental health support for a 21st century workforce.”

NHS figures show demand for mental health support has soared, with almost two million people now getting help compared to 1.3million before the Covid pandemic.

There has also been an increase in the number of people in their 20s and 30s claiming state benefits for mental health conditions.

This week, former PM Sir Tony Blair warned many have begun to “medicalise” life’s difficulties.

He said: “Life has its ups and downs and everybody experiences those.

You’ve got to be careful of encouraging people to think they’ve got some sort of condition other than simply confronting the challenges of life.”