Mental Health Index: June highlights

The mental health and wellbeing of your workforce is critical when it comes to overall health – and productivity at work.

The Mental Health Index (MHI) surveys 16,000 workers from around the world. Published monthly, the index provides a measure of the current mental health status of employed adults. The increases and decreases in the MHI are intended to predict cost and productivity risks, and help governments and businesses understand how much they should be investing in supporting the mental health of their people.

Highlights: What do you need to know for June 2023?

Stable for four months, the mental health of workers in Canada remains at the same level as pandemic-era scores and shows no improvement.

At 64.6, the mental health of workers in Canada remains unchanged for the third consecutive month
32 per cent of workers have a high mental health risk, 43 per cent have a moderate mental health risk, and 24 per cent have a low mental health risk
Anxiety and isolation have been the lowest (worst) mental health sub-scores for 14 consecutive months
Optimism and isolation sub-scores have declined (have poorer scores) compared to May 2023
Mental health scores have declined in Alberta, Ontario, and British Columbia; scores have improved in other provinces
Labourers continue to have a lower mental health score than service and office workers
The mental health score of managers has declined while the mental health score of non-managers has improved from May 2023

2. More than one-quarter of workers are aware their mental health is negatively impacting work productivity.

35 per cent of workers in the technology sector report a negative impact of mental health on work productivity
32 per cent of workers in Food Services report a negative impact of mental health on work productivity
30 per cent of workers in Health Care and Social Assistance report a negative impact of mental health on work productivity

3. Organizations that offer time off to volunteer garner a more positive perception as an employer.

39 per cent have volunteered their time or finances in the last two years
36 per cent of workers report a positive perception of their employer for offering time off to volunteer
Among workers who volunteer, 31 per cent report their organization offers time off for volunteering
Workers who volunteer their time or finances have higher mental health and optimism scores than workers who do not volunteer or donate

4. Younger workers say that contributing to social change is the most important benefit of volunteering.

40 per cent say that making a difference is the most important benefit of volunteering
Younger workers (under 40) and men are more likely to believe they don’t have something to offer
Workers with high mental health risk lack both motivation and confidence in having something to offer, and are intimidated by the process of volunteering

Click here to download the June report.

Click here to view the press release.

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