Back to November 2022 News Update

Mental health conditions account for a relatively small but increasing proportion of serious claims, rising from 6% of all serious claims in 2014-15 to 9% in 2020-21p. 

Workplace mental health conditions are one of the costliest forms of workplace injury. Our data show that they lead to significantly more time off work and higher compensation paid when compared to physical injuries and diseases. In 2019-20:

• The median time lost for mental health conditions was 30.7 working weeks per serious claim, compared to 6.2 working weeks per serious claim for physical injuries and diseases.  
• The median compensation paid was $55,270 per serious claim, compared to $13,883 for physical injuries and diseases.

The median time lost (in working weeks) for mental health conditions has increased markedly in recent years, from 18.8 working weeks in 2015-16 to 30.7 working weeks in 2019-20.