Rising mental health concerns leave quarter of young people to consider quitting work

One in four young people have considered leaving their job in the past year with mental health concerns driving departures from the workforce.

A study, conducted by accounting firm PwC, found that 20% of all workers had considered quitting work but that workers under 35 were likelier to do so due to mental health concerns.

The report, based on a survey of 4,000 workers across 300 companies, also noted that 10% of all workers have actively considered leaving work for an extended period at a time when a record 22% of British adults are not seeking work or are unavailable to work.

Mental health concerns, which are the main factor for people leaving their jobs, are not only limited to younger workers. Another report by the Mental Health Foundation in 2022 credits mental health problems for 7.9% of all work absences from illness.

Much of the current conversation focuses on how to get people outside the workforce back in, equally important is stemming the flow leaving the workforce in the first place

Marco Amitrano, Senior Partner of PwC UK

The number of adults with reported mental health conditions is also rising. The Institute for Fiscal Studies estimates that 13–15% of working-age people suffer from a mental health condition – a significant increase from the 8–10% reported in the mid-2010s.

Marco Amitrano, Senior Partner of PwC UK, said the findings would leave employers “understandably concerned”. He added: “Much of the current conversation focuses on how to get people outside the workforce back in, equally important is stemming the flow leaving the workforce in the first place.”

These findings come at a time when the Government plans to cut spending on Personal Independence Payments (PIP), a disability benefit paid to over 3.6 million people with chronic and long-term physical or mental health conditions.

44% of PIP claimants – around 1.3 million people – receive the benefit primarily because of mental health conditions, and up to 86% of claimants also suffer from a mental health condition even if it isn’t their primary reason for seeking benefits.

The cost of maintaining PIP benefits is projected to skyrocket in coming years, from their current level of £65 billion to £100 billion by 2030

Under the Government’s new policy, requirements for obtaining PIP benefits due to disability-induced difficulties with daily living will be made stricter.

This move will reportedly save £5 billion in government spending at a time when the Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the increasing financial costs of sustaining benefits “devastating for public finances”.

The cost of maintaining PIP benefits is projected to skyrocket in coming years, from their current level of £65 billion to £100 billion by 2030.

The Government has however pledged to hire 8,500 mental health professionals to address the backlog for treating mental health patients, with the Government saying “too many people” are not being supported.

It is absolutely clear the current welfare system is not working for anyone […] when the bill for welfare is going up by billion of pounds in the next few years

Chancellor Rachel Reeves

This contrasts Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s earlier statement that there is an “overdiagnosis” of mental health conditions in the UK, a comment which has been met with criticism from health experts.

Some Labour MPs have objected to the cuts. Mother of the House Diane Abbott condemned cutting benefits for “up to a million people”, adding there is “nothing moral” about the Government’s proposals.

Despite this, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves has held firm, saying that: “It is absolutely clear the current welfare system is not working for anyone […] when the bill for welfare is going up by billion of pounds in the next few years”.

Warwick students suffering from mental health problems can access a range of resources and support here, via the University’s Wellbeing and Student Support page.