Is your job slowly killing you? here are the workplace industries ruining your health

Flu season is upon us, but is it your job that’s slowly killing you? New data by HSE has revealed the unhealthiest industries in Britain.

From nurses to teachers, the country’s frontline workers are clocking some of the highest rates of illness, burnout, and time off work.

Croissance PR analyses and ranks sectors by sickness rates, mental health struggles, and days lost to illness, painting a stark picture of how different jobs take a toll on both body and mind. 

Key findings:

• Over 85,000 days are lost a year due to people calling in sick for mental health in the UK.

• Healthcare and social work employees are most affected, with 5,950 illness cases per 100,000 workers linked to their current or recent job.

• Public administration and defence workers report 3,840 mental health cases per 100,000, highlighting stress in high-responsibility roles.

• Education staff face both physical and mental strain, with 4,830 general illness cases and 2,580 mental health cases per 100,000.

• Office-based and professional roles aren’t immune with mental health issues affecting knowledge-sector workers, with over 2,000 cases per 100,000 in some industries.

The data shows that people working in healthcare, social care, public administration, and education are the most likely to fall ill, with estimated rates of self-reported illness caused or made worse by their jobs in the last 12 months totaling thousands of combined sick days. 

These industries also record some of the highest rates of mental health illness, suggesting that emotional strain and burnout are increasingly defining features of frontline professions.

Spokesperson at Athera Healthcare, says the findings paint a picture of systemic strain.

“The people keeping our public systems running are paying for it with their health. We’re seeing record levels of stress-related absence in sectors already stretched by staff shortages. These are people doing vital work but too often without the infrastructure to protect their own wellbeing.”

Construction, transportation, and administrative sectors show elevated musculoskeletal illness rates, even where overall illness is lower. This suggests that physical strain in certain roles is being underplayed.

companies can and should use ergonomic and preventative health programs as a strategic communication point: demonstrating care for staff while reducing absenteeism.