It’s Mental Health Awareness Week, and automotive industry charity, Ben, has launched a new report revealing results from its latest survey, in which over 1 in 4 automotive workers (27%) reported issues managing their mental health.
This is compared to 16% of UK workers who said they have issues managing their mental health, showing it’s a bigger issue for people working in the automotive industry.
The survey also found that an overwhelming 99.6% of automotive people have been affected by a health & wellbeing issue over the previous 12 months.
Stress remains the most common health & wellbeing issue that automotive employees face, at 56%, followed by poor sleep (51%), feelings of anxiety (43%) and low mood (41%).
The results clearly show that mental health issues are the most prominent of the top 10 issues and affect a number of people in the automotive industry.
Furthermore, a total of 7 in 10 respondents said they worry about money and these people are more likely to experience feelings of anxiety, low mood and depression.
The number of people worrying about money has increased from the year before (6 in 10), which is most likely caused by cost-of-living pressures. Year on year, debt has increased by 3% (19% to 22%), being unable to budget has increased by 12% (14% to 26%), being unable to save has increased by 5% (31% to 36%) and skipping meals has increased by 6% (10% to 16%).
The survey also revealed that 1 in 7 automotive workers are considering leaving the industry and that pay is the biggest motivator for this (29%). A total of 87% of those considering leaving the industry have had financial issues and 63% are experiencing stress at work.