10 October 2026: An estimated 12 billion working days are lost globally every year to depression and anxiety, costing the global economy around US$1 trillion in lost productivity.
As the world marks World Mental Health Day, Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) International is calling for greater focus on safe and healthy workplaces, including giving people the skills and confidence to recognise when someone may be experiencing a mental health problem and know how to respond.
The World Health Organization estimates 15 per cent of working-age adults live with a mental health disorder and recommends workplace training that improves mental health literacy, strengthens skills to recognise and act on mental health conditions and empowers workers to seek support.
MHFA International CEO Angus Clelland said these figures showed why workplace mental health needed sustained attention.
“Work is a major part of people’s lives and workplaces have an important role to play in mental health,” Mr Clelland said.
“We need workplaces where mental health is understood, where people feel able to seek support and where managers and colleagues have the practical skills to respond when someone may be struggling.
“This is about organisations leading the shift from awareness to capability and readiness.”
Around 10 million people globally have now been trained in Mental Health First Aid, building practical skills to recognise signs of mental health problems, start a conversation, provide initial support, and help connect someone with appropriate professional assistance.
Mr Clelland said the scale of MHFA training demonstrated strong global demand for practical mental health skills.
“Ten million people trained is a significant milestone, but there are millions more people going to work every day without that knowledge and confidence around them.
“Creating safe and healthy workplaces means addressing the risks that can contribute to poor mental health and building the capacity to respond when people need support.”
This year’s World Mental Health Day theme is Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change. Mr Clelland said the theme points to the need for lived experience to shape everything from workplace mental health policies and systems to how a manager or colleague responds when someone is struggling.
This also aligns with Mental Health Australia’s national campaign, Together We Thrive. “When leaders, managers and colleagues share responsibility for each other’s wellbeing, have the skills to step in, and know how to connect people to further support, they create a culture where mental health is prioritised,” Mr Clelland said.
World Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Day
Building on these themes, MHFA International will continue its focus on workplace mental health in the lead-up to World Mental Health First Aid Day on 18 November, under the theme Ready When It Matters, encouraging more people to build the skills and confidence to act when someone needs support.
