Work-related stress in Finland affects a substantially larger share of employees than the EU average, according to the latest survey by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). Forty-five percent of Finnish workers said they had experienced stress, depression or anxiety caused or made worse by their job in the previous 12 months, the second-highest rate among EU countries after Greece.
The figure comes from the OSH Pulse 2025 survey, which examined psychosocial risks, mental health, digital technologies and climate-related pressures in workplaces. More than 28,000 employed people across all EU member states, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland took part in the survey, conducted by telephone in spring 2025.
Work-related stress in Finland stands well above the EU average
Across the EU, 29% of workers reported stress, depression or anxiety caused or worsened by their work. Finland’s figure of 45% was therefore 16 percentage points higher.
The results do not mean that 45% of Finnish employees have been clinically diagnosed with depression or anxiety. Respondents were asked whether, during the previous 12 months, they had experienced stress, depression or anxiety that they considered to have been caused or aggravated by their work.
Other indicators also point to substantial pressure in Finnish workplaces. According to the EU-OSHA country data, 51% of Finnish respondents said they faced severe time pressure or excessive workloads, compared with 44% across the EU. Poor communication or cooperation within the organisation was reported by 42%, against an EU average of 29%.
Overall fatigue affected 46% of Finnish respondents, while 43% reported headaches or eyestrain connected to their work.
Denmark reports the lowest level in the EU
The Nordic comparison is particularly striking. While Finland was close to the top of the EU ranking, Denmark recorded the lowest proportion, with only 19% of Danish workers reporting work-related stress, depression or anxiety.
The gap does not extend equally to all workplace pressures. For example, 45% of Danish respondents reported severe time pressure or excessive workloads, only slightly above the EU average and not far below Finland’s 51%.
The figures therefore do not establish a simple relationship between workload and reported mental health problems. They measure workers’ own experiences across different labour markets and workplace environments.
Finland also performs comparatively strongly on some forms of workplace support. 78% of Finnish workers said counselling or psychological support was available at their workplace, compared with 40% across the EU. Around 80% said they would feel comfortable discussing their mental health with a manager or supervisor.
The combination suggests that widespread access to support can coexist with high reported levels of work-related mental strain.
The European Parliament wants stronger workplace rules
The findings come as the European Parliament is considering stronger EU rules on psychosocial risks at work.
Its Committee on Employment and Social Affairs approved a legislative initiative in September by 41 votes to 12, with four abstentions. The proposal, led by Belgian MEP Estelle Ceulemans, calls for minimum EU requirements to prevent or reduce risks that can contribute to stress, burnout and other mental or physical health problems.
Under the recommendations, employers would be expected to conduct regular assessments of psychosocial risks, including excessive workloads and high work intensity, and introduce measures to address identified problems.
The proposal also calls for clearer workplace policies defining and prohibiting violence, harassment, bullying and discriminatory behaviour. Changes in work organisation, including some forms of teleworking and automated monitoring or decision-making, are also considered potential sources of psychosocial risk.
According to documents from the European Parliament, work-related depression alone is estimated to cost the EU around €100 billion each year.
The committee vote does not itself create new obligations for employers. The initiative still has to pass through the European Parliament before it can formally press the European Commission to introduce legislation.
Mental health is becoming a European workplace issue
The Finnish figures underline how differently workers experience mental strain across Europe, including between neighbouring Nordic countries with broadly comparable labour-market institutions.
EU-OSHA’s survey also shows that psychosocial risks are increasingly being treated as part of occupational health and safety rather than solely as individual mental health problems. The agency’s research covers workload, lack of autonomy, workplace relations, digitalisation and other aspects of how work is organised.
For Finland, the results present a particular contrast: employees report some of the highest levels of work-related stress, depression and anxiety in the EU, while also reporting relatively widespread access to workplace mental health support.
The debate will now move increasingly to the EU level, where lawmakers are considering whether prevention of psychosocial risks should become a clearer and more binding responsibility for employers across member states.
