A study by Swinburne University researchers has revealed staggeringly higher rates of mental health issues and stress in the construction sector.
Macho attitudes, unrealistic workloads and impossible project deadlines are prompting burnt-out builders to abandon the industry in droves.
Shocking new research shows white-collar managers in the construction sector endure dramatically higher levels of stress and depression compared to the rest of the country’s workforce.
Swinburne University Professor Luke Downey said he was prompted to look into mental health in construction after candid chats with industry mates tipped him off to the problem.
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Prof Luke Downey said one person in the building industry committed suicide every two days in Australia.
But he said he was blindsided by the full extent of the issue after a report he co-authored with his colleague Professor Con Stough revealed rates of depression were 46 per cent higher than the general population.
Stress levels outstripped the country’s norms by 65 per cent and anxiety levels were a staggering 71 per cent higher among building professionals and construction managers.
“It is an industry that has been traditionally run on authoritarian leadership, so the louder you yell, the faster it will get built,” Prof Downey said.
Depression was 46 per cent higher among white-collar building professionals compared to the rest of the population. Picture: iStock
“That’s not to say blue-collar workers don’t have their issues, it just shows the white-collar workers have been overlooked for a long time in relation to the number of hours they work and the impact this has.”
The study, which interviewed 683 construction staff across the country, found huge workloads and unrealistic project schedules meant staff were working up to 75 hours a week.
Prof Downey said one person in the industry committed suicide every two days in Australia as a result, and marriage breakdowns were also more common.
Stress was 65 per cent higher and anxiety 71 per cent higher. Picture: iStock
Lysander strategic consultant Janet McCulloch, whose organisation created workshops, coaching and other development modules to help building bosses tackle mental health in their ranks, said the problem was difficult to address because the industry was male dominated.
Given the industry was being heavily relied on to help the economy recover from Covid-19, she said it made sense to address problems of stress, depression and loss of staff sooner rather than later.
Lysander strategic consultant Janet McCulloch said happier, healthier employees were more productive.
She said: “When people are mentally healthier it actually improves productivity outcomes … you have to invest in the front end to get the output in the tail end to get that improvement.”
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