23% of Hong Kong's workers have called in sick due to "mind health" issues: Survey

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This trend was particularly pronounced among Gen Z workers (aged 18–24), of whom 40% had done so – the highest among all age groups.

Over 60% of Hong Kong workers have reported experiencing elevated stress levels due to work-related factors, surpassing the global average of 56%. Among those affected, young Millennials (aged 25-34) and Gen Z (aged 18-24) say they have faced the most severe mind health challenges.

These findings come from the latest AXA Mind Health Report 2025, which found that 80% of the working population in Hong Kong cited multiple factors affecting their mind wellbeing.

These factors included:

• work-related stress (60%)
• uncertainty about the future in a rapidly changing world (58%)
• financial instability and job insecurity (58%)
• difficulty achieving a healthy work-life balance (53%)
• loneliness and social isolation (45%)

A staggering 84% of the working population indicated that work-related stress interferes with their daily lives, leading to issues such as:

• sleep disturbances (36%)
• decreased motivation (33%)
• physical symptoms (such as headaches and muscle tension) (26%)
• mood swings or irritability (25%)
• difficulties in concentrating (22%)
• changes in appetite (19%)

Notably, nearly a quarter (23%) of surveyed workers had taken sick leave due to these "mind health" issues, with this trend particularly pronounced among Gen Zers, of whom 40% had done so – the highest among all age groups. Nonetheless, the rate declined noticeably with age:

• Gen Z (40%)
• young Millennials aged 25 to 34 (33%)
• older Millennials aged 35 to 44 (26%)
• those aged 45 to 54 (20%)

The study also revealed that 20% of the respondents may experience severe or more extreme impacts. Among these, young Millennials reported the highest rate of severe or above-severe levels of depression, anxiety, or stress:

• young Millennials aged 25 to 34 (33%)
• Gen Z (31%)
• older Millennials aged 35 to 44 (23%)
• those aged 45 to 54 (18%)

To cope with the mind health issues, 29% of respondents reported using AI or related tools to manage their wellbeing, with Gen Z (46%) and younger millennials (41%) showing the highest rates of adoption.

On the other hand, around 60% of working individuals expect companies to implement more comprehensive mind health workplace policies. This demand is particularly pronounced among Gen Z (70%) and younger Millennials (82%).

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