The number of working days lost because of stress-related illnesses has soared eightfold since 2009, according to research by health and safety group Arboned.

The research is based on the records of 1.1 million workers. 

Of the 4.6 million days off recorded by Arboned in the first six months of this year, around 10% were attributable to stress, the organisation said. This means companies have picked up an €800m bill for stress-related absenteeism.

Pressure

‘Arboned pointed out that absenteeism through stress rose in 2013 but the figure has never been as high as the first half of this year,’ company doctor Corne Roelen told news agency ANP.

Education, healthcare, IT and financial services were the most severely affected sectors. Major stress factors include financial worries and the difficulty of combining work and home life, Roelens said.

Arboned is a private company which advises firms on health and safety issues and helps reintegrate sick workers into the workforce.