Gen Z is more likely to call in sick to work than 20-year-old Gen Xers because of the mental health crisis “turbocharged” by young women.

An alarming rise in the number of young people in the UK reporting mental health problems such as depression and anxiety means they are now more likely to call in sick than older Gen Xers 20 years older than them, in a remarkable turning point in health history.

The growing mental health crisis is starting to have a major impact on the career prospects of Gen Z workers, according to research by think tank Resolution Foundation (RF ).

Gen Z is now getting sicker than 40 year olds

Research from RF finds that more than a third of young people aged 18 to 24 suffer from what is described as a “common mental disorder,” (CMD) such as depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder. This number is higher than 24% of 2000 young people who were living with CMD.

That jump has been “enhanced” by the mental health crisis among women. Two in five women in the UK may report CMD, compared to a quarter of men.

While there are theories about the causes of this increase, from the loss of essential public services to the stigma that surrounds talking about mental health, that cannot be Arguably it is the real-world consequences of increasing levels of mental retardation.

The RF survey found that the number of young people taking time off work due to illness has doubled in the past decade.

The results of the work are becoming clearer. People with mental health problems tend to work in lower paying jobs compared to their healthy colleagues.

The most troubling part of that approach for policymakers is that it creates unprecedented powers. For example, young people are now more likely to be absent from work due to illness than people in their 20s.

That generational divide leads to a division of labor that undermines productivity. A survey conducted by the London School of Economics and consulting firm Protiviti found that more than a third of Gen Z workers claimed to be unproductive.

Researchers put the cause of this low productivity down to a breakdown in communication between new employees and their senior managers.

It also affects the UK economy. Research from health insurer Vitality found Gen X and millennial workers miss one day of work each week due to poor mental health. Vitality estimated that this was costing the British economy £138 billion ($176 billion) a year.

“Youth unemployment due to illness is a real and growing trend; “Worryingly, young people in their early 20s, who are just beginning their adult lives, are more likely to lose work due to illness than those in their 40s,” researchers the RF said.

Universities are becoming ‘hotbeds’ for mental health issues

According to RF, the younger Gen Xers surveyed in 2000 had the lowest proportion of reported CMD cases.

And while it may be easy to blame the recent spike in the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the issues are deeper and the end of long-standing trends.

One of them is the increasingly stressful educational environment. RF says universities have become “hotbeds” for mental health problems. Previous research shows that three out of five students live with a mental health problem.

At the same time, research shows that a college education is still people’s best chance for high-paying jobs, creating a double-edged sword in which young people continue to before running the game of risking their mental health for better work results.

Students also receive more mental health support from their universities, compared to non-university students who have fewer options for seeking support.

Gen Z women are very concerned

RF research has surprisingly noted that young women are now 1.6 times more likely than men to take time off work due to illness. It brought back the trend of guys taking extra time in the 2010s, and the trend has only changed due to the dramatic rise in gynecology in the last few years.

Gen Z women are consistently reported to be the most likely to experience mental health issues. Psychologist Jean Twenge, Ph.D., said Good luck last year there is a clear connection between the rise of smartphone use and declining levels of mental health.

College-aged youth report the greatest incidence of mental health problems. About a third of women aged 17-19 have a mental disorder, according to the RF.

A think tank has urged departments that employ more young people to lead efforts to recruit “mental health-savvy” managers to improve the outcomes of tomorrow’s leaders.