Mental Health-Related Work Absences Surge in Brazil's Vulnerable Professions in 2025
Brazil experienced a 15% increase in workplace absences due to mental health issues in 2025, affecting over 546,000 workers, particularly in precarious jobs like retail and cleaning, with significant economic impact and delayed regulatory responses.
- • Brazil recorded over 546,000 workplace absences due to mental health issues in 2025, a 15% increase from the previous year.
- • Retail workers, cleaners, and administrative assistants are the most affected professions, often employed under precarious conditions.
- • Mental health-related absences cost Brazil’s economy nearly R$ 4 billion in 2025, mainly due to anxiety and depression cases.
- • Government attempts to update workplace safety regulations to include psychosocial risks faced resistance but will proceed without further delays.
Key details
In 2025, Brazil saw a significant escalation in workplace absences due to mental health disorders, with over 546,000 cases reported—a 15% rise compared to the previous year. This alarming trend mainly impacted professions such as retail workers, cleaners, and administrative assistants, many of whom endure precarious contracts and intense job pressures. Anxiety and depression dominated as the leading causes, resulting in an economic burden nearing R$ 4 billion.
The Ministry of Social Security, in collaboration with the International Labor Organization and the Labor Public Ministry, analyzed this data which underscores structural difficulties in Brazil’s labor market. Experts point to the interplay of low wages, job insecurity, and overwhelming workloads as key contributors to deteriorating mental health among these workers.
In response, the Brazilian government aimed to revise NR-1 workplace safety regulations to encompass psychosocial risk factors. However, the proposal has encountered resistance from business sectors, delaying its implementation. Despite this opposition, the Ministry of Labor has affirmed that there will be no further postponements regarding these critical mental health protections.
This surge in mental health-related absences contrasts with Brazil's broader labor market context, where the unemployment rate dropped to a historic low of 5.6% in 2025. Factors such as demographic shifts, improved education, digitalization, platform-based work, and labor law reforms have contributed to a resilient job market and economic growth of around 2%. Nevertheless, vulnerable workers continue to face substantial risks to their well-being.
The data highlights an urgent need to address workplace conditions and support mental health to safeguard the most affected professions and alleviate economic costs associated with mental health-related work absences.
This article was translated and synthesized from Brazilian sources, providing English-speaking readers with local perspectives.
