Singapore workers’ mental health declines; those on unhealthy diets tend to do worse

DESPITE two years of steady improvements, Singapore workers saw a significant drop in their mental well-being in September. Based on a recent study, the mental health score of employees declined 1.3 points from April this year to 61.6.

Compared to April 2022, when the Telus Mental Health Index (MHI) was launched, the proportion of those at high mental health risk also rose two percentage points to 41 per cent. Among them, 24 per cent reported a mental health condition or issue.

For this latest study, Telus Health, a provider of health technology services, conducted an online survey of 1,000 people between Sep 13 and 26 this year. All the respondents live in Singapore and were employed within the last six months.

A higher score on the index means better mental health, with 0-49 indicating “distressed”, 50-79 “strained”, and 80-100 “optimal”.

Jamie MacLennan, senior vice-president and managing director for the Asia-Pacific at Telus Health, pointed out that while there have been improvements in the MHI over the last two years, the overall score still shows a highly strained population. Therefore, additional or increased stressors can easily reverse any gains.

“That is what we are seeing, due to a combination of economic, life and workplace pressures,” he tells The Business Times. In particular, relentless inflation challenges and wages that are not always keeping pace are resulting in financial anxiety and emotional strain.

The work productivity sub-score, which measures the impact of mental health on work productivity and goals, declined the most significantly. It was down 4.1 points from the April 2024 level, and at 50.4, it is the lowest of all the mental health sub-scores.

The anxiety score, which had been gradually improving since April 2022, saw a sharp decline of 3.3 points in September to clock in at 52.7, the second worst sub-score, followed by isolation at 54.1.

“Economic stressors like rising living costs and job security concerns contribute heavily to anxiety and lower productivity,” says MacLennan. “On top of this, reports have indicated that return-to-office mandates have added another layer of pressure, disrupting routines and causing stress for employees who had adjusted to remote work set-ups.”

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Burnout from increased workloads and persistent stigma surrounding mental health, compounded by inadequate support, further impact focus and productivity, he adds.

Diet and mental health

Another finding is that fewer than half the respondents (46 per cent) stick to a healthy diet, with younger workers under age 40 more likely to report unhealthy eating. The mental health score of those with unhealthy diets (48.7) is also nearly 17 points lower than that of workers who eat healthily, and 13 points lower than the national average.

Workers without emergency savings are nearly twice as likely as workers with emergency savings to report an unhealthy diet, while managers are 50 per cent more likely than non-managers to report a healthy diet.

Interestingly, the one-quarter of workers who generally follow a balanced diet with no specific exclusions report the highest mental health score of 67.7, six points more than the national average. In contrast, those who report specific dietary preferences or restrictions (35 per cent) notched the lowest mental health score of 57.1.

Physical well-being and industry-specific scores

When it comes to physical well-being, nearly three in five (58 per cent) workers are satisfied with their physical health, with their mental health score of 67 more than five points higher than the national average. The one in seven (14 per cent) who is dissatisfied with his or her physical health has the lowest mental health score, at 46.7.

Employees with an annual household income below S$150,000 are 60 per cent more likely than those with a higher annual household income to be dissatisfied with their physical health.

Looking at mental health scores across different industries, those in public administration and defence have the lowest score (48.8), followed by workers in accommodation and food service activities (54), and administrative and support service activities (58.7).

On the other hand, employees in manufacturing (65.7), other service activities (65.3), and education (65.2) have the best scores.

Pointing out that mental health scores are strongly correlated with productivity, MacLennan says addressing mental health and well-being is not a “nice-to-have”, but a commercial imperative.

“Research shows that organisations that provide genuine and effective support for both physical and mental health have staff reporting much higher mental health scores – with consequent benefit to workplace productivity.”