Finland has the second-highest share of workers in the European Union reporting work-related stress, depression or anxiety, with 45 percent saying their work caused or worsened these problems during the previous 12 months.
The figure comes from the 2025 OSH Pulse survey by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), which surveyed more than 25,000 workers across the EU. In Finland, 1,010 workers took part in the survey. The research examined a range of workplace health and safety issues, including psychosocial risks, mental health, digitalisation and the measures employers have put in place to prevent work-related problems.
Finland’s 45 percent was exceeded only by Greece, where 49 percent of workers reported experiencing stress, depression or anxiety caused or made worse by their work. The EU average was 29 percent. Denmark recorded the lowest figure among EU countries, at 19 percent.
The Finnish result is not limited to feelings of stress. The survey also points to significant exposure to several conditions that can contribute to psychological strain at work. More than half of Finnish respondents, 51 percent, said they faced severe time pressure or an excessive workload. That compares with 44 percent across the EU.
Poor communication or cooperation within the organisation was reported by 42 percent of Finnish workers, compared with 29 percent across the EU. Ten percent said they had experienced harassment or bullying at work, while 18 percent reported a lack of autonomy or influence over their work pace or processes.
The survey also shows that Finnish workplaces are relatively active in providing support for workers dealing with mental health concerns. Seventy-eight percent of Finnish respondents said counselling or psychological support was available at their workplace, compared with 40 percent across the EU. Sixty-seven percent said their workplace provided information or training on wellbeing and coping with stress, while 63 percent said workers were consulted about stressful aspects of their work.
The contrast is significant. Finland has a comparatively high level of reported work-related psychological symptoms even though many workers say support is available. The survey itself does not establish a single reason for the difference between Finland and other EU countries, but it provides a picture of workplaces where workload, time pressure and organisational communication remain important concerns.
The findings have emerged as the European Parliament considers stronger rules on psychosocial risks at work. In September, Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee backed a legislative initiative calling for the European Commission to develop new measures addressing work-related stress, depression, burnout and harassment. The initiative is currently awaiting a vote by the full Parliament.
The proposed approach would place greater emphasis on preventing psychological risks rather than dealing with their consequences after workers become ill. The initiative calls for employers to assess psychosocial risks such as excessive workloads and high work intensity. It also proposes clearer rules covering harassment, bullying and discrimination and measures to support workers returning after an absence linked to psychosocial risks.
Estelle Ceulemans, the Belgian MEP leading the initiative, has argued that the issue is not only about working conditions but also about the economic cost of poor mental health. She has put the annual cost of work-related depression in the EU at around 100 billion euros. That figure is presented by Ceulemans as part of the case for stronger European action.
The Parliament’s initiative is not yet EU law. The legislative procedure is still under way, with the Parliament’s vote expected in October 2026. If Parliament adopts the initiative, the European Commission would then have three months to respond, either by outlining measures it intends to take or explaining why it will not propose legislation along the requested lines.
For Finland, the OSH Pulse figures place the country’s workplace mental health situation near the top of the European rankings, but the numbers also reveal a more complicated picture than a simple ranking suggests. Finnish workers report high levels of work-related stress, depression and anxiety, alongside high levels of reported access to counselling, psychological support and workplace measures intended to address stress.
The figures therefore raise questions not only about whether support is available, but about the working conditions that may be contributing to the problem in the first place. With excessive workload and time pressure among the risks reported most often by Finnish workers, the debate in Finland is likely to extend beyond access to mental health services to how work itself is organised.
The EU-OSHA survey offers a snapshot rather than a diagnosis of Finland’s working life. But with 45 percent of Finnish respondents saying their work had caused or worsened stress, depression or anxiety in the previous year, the findings put workplace mental health firmly among the issues facing employers, workers and policymakers across the country.
