Birmingham has been named essentially the most pressured metropolis within the UK, in line with a brand new examine.
The analysis, from workplace options supplier Immediate Places of work, which measured components resembling wage ranges, gender pay gaps, and on-line searches for “work stress” and “burnout,” signifies that residents of the West Midlands endure the very best ranges of stress nationwide.
Birmingham’s place on the high of the checklist stems from its comparatively excessive quantity of stress-related net searches, a notable gender pay hole, and lower-than-average salaries. Close by Coventry ranks second within the examine, serving to to put the West Midlands because the area underneath the best pressure. Many inhabitants there report making cutbacks on social actions and train attributable to work-related pressures.
Information exhibits that in 2024, the typical UK worker took 21.1 days off work attributable to stress, melancholy, or anxiousness – resulting in 16.4 million misplaced working days total. Among the many mostly cited causes of burnout have been excessive workloads (together with unpaid duties), cost-of-living pressures, job insecurity, and office bullying or isolation. One in 4 UK adults admits to feeling pressured more often than not, whereas one in 9 experiences stress every day.
Ladies within the UK really feel pressured, on common, 11.7 days per thirty days – noticeably increased than the 8.7 days reported by males. The examine additionally highlights that cities with substantial gender pay gaps, resembling Derby, Coventry, and Luton, present elevated stress ranges amongst feminine staff.
With work stress, burnout, and psychological well being issues on the rise, specialists urge each employers and policymakers to handle structural points resembling pay disparity and mounting monetary pressures. In addition they advise people to hunt more healthy work-life stability, keep social connections, and prioritise self-care as a way of lowering day-to-day stress.