Understanding Mental Health in the Built Environment 2025

In May 2020, the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) launched its Understanding Mental Health in the Built Environment report, examining the state of mental health in construction. 

The report shed light on the levels of stress, anxiety and depression faced by industry workers as well as the factors contributing to poor mental health. The report included a survey of 2,081 construction industry workers, with over a quarter (26%) stating they had suicidal thoughts and only 56% saying their business had a policy in place for mental health. The results highlighted the seriousness of the silent mental health crisis in the industry and that many workers did not feel supported enough by their employers to help them.  

The report has been widely referenced over the past five years, gaining attention from industry, mental health organisations and national media demonstrating the need for further research into the area and its level of impact it can have within society. 

Since its publication, the world witnessed a global pandemic which forced employers to rethink working practices, with health and safety of their workers at the forefront of their decisions. This has resulted in mental health gaining attention due to its safety-critical nature and, five years on from the initial research, we hope to see improvements in how workers feel their organisation is supporting them with their mental wellbeing. 

This is an update to the 2020 research and will enable organisations to use up-to-date statistics that reflect the current world we live in to inform their working practices

This report seeks to:

• Understand the progress, if any, that has been made between the 2020 report and now
• How prevalent is poor mental health in the industry
• What pro-active steps can organisations from SMEs to large contractors take to help their employees manage their mental health

Using evidence from the research, this report outlines recommendations and provides resources which we believe may help policy makers and the industry to support and address poor mental health within the construction industry.