Mental Health Crisis In Construction Industry Is Getting Worse – Survey

A new survey reveals the mental health crisis in the construction sector is getting worse, as the industry grapples with COVID-19 disruptions, failing businesses and critical supply shortages.

The survey, conducted for suicide prevention charity MATES in Construction follows one at the end of 2021 looking at the impact that Delta had on workers mental health.

Mates in Construction CEO Victoria McArthur says the mental health crisis in the industry is getting worse as many face uncertain futures.

“Every day we see a new headline about the struggles that are happening across the construction industry, but let’s stop and think about the impact that this is having on the people inside the industry.

“Although we are no longer looking at Covid lockdowns, we are now seeing the start of failing organisations such as the liquidation of Wellington company Armstrong Downes Construction which is a very concerning sign for the industry.

“There is a mental health crisis in the construction sector and things are going from bad to worse. This year has hit the industry hard and at MATES we are desperately trying to offer support and build capacity across our workforce. Right now, we are losing one person or so a week to suicide in our industry and our construction sector has the highest suicide rate of any industry in New Zealand.

“At the end of last year, our survey showed that 4% of New Zealand construction workers had thought seriously about ending their own life. In our latest survey, that number has increased to 5.5%.

“Late last year, 43% of construction workers said their mental health had been worse since the pandemic started, today that number has increased to 47%.

“The number of workers who say they feel able to manage the things that stress them out most of the time has fallen from 78% to 73%. This shows our people are doing it really tough.
 

“With a huge amount of construction work needing to be done at the moment, it’s vitally important that we support the workers who build things our country needs. MATES needs to see more support from the Government to help us continue our work and continue to support our construction workers, and we need to be prioritising the wellbeing of our people,” says Victoria McArthur.

The survey had 696 responses from workers in the construction industry.

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