Regional Australia records higher mental injury claims, Allianz finds

Regional workers in Australia account for a higher share of mental injury compensation claims than metro employees and take longer to return to work, according to Allianz Australia data.

Mental injury claims account for 19% of workers' compensation claims in regional areas, compared with 13.4% in metro areas. Regional workers also take an average of 88 days to return to work, 16 days longer than their metropolitan counterparts.

"We're seeing a disproportionately higher rate of mental injury claims in regional areas, and those workers are taking significantly longer to return to work than their metro counterparts," said Brianna Cattanach, national manager mental health strategy – personal injury, Allianz Australia.

"These trends point to a widening workplace mental health gap that demands our attention."

Workplace stress, bullying and harassment, and workplace violence are key drivers of mental injuries in regional Australia. Bullying and harassment, alongside workplace violence, each account for 31% of reported factors.

Nearly a quarter of regional employees said their mental health was worse than at any other point in their working lives. Around 32% cited workload, work pace and deadlines as key concerns, while 43% pointed to personal finances and 33% to relationships and social connection.

The pressure is also affecting retention, with nearly a third of regional employees, or around 703,000 workers, considering leaving their jobs within six to 12 months.

Around 73% of surveyed regional employees said they had never used mental health support from their current employer. Meanwhile, 61% did not know how to access workplace support, and 18% believed such support was unavailable.

Only 14% were aware of workplace mental health training or workshops, while 26% knew of wellness or health programmes.

"Access to services, workforce capacity, and local support networks can all influence how quickly someone is able to recover and return to work," said Mark Pittman, executive general manager, personal injury at Allianz Australia.

Myf Pitcher, Mental Health and Wellbeing Manager for Rural Aid, highlighted the barriers regional workers face in accessing support.

"Rural communities are built on people looking out for one another, but accessing support is not always straightforward. Long distances, limited services, and demanding work schedules can all stand in the way," Pitcher said.

"We need support that is connected to local communities, easy to access and designed around the realities of life and work in the bush."

The findings underline the need for employers to improve awareness of available mental health resources, strengthen access to support and account for the specific barriers faced by regional employees. 

For organisations operating across Australia, addressing these challenges will be important to supporting employee recovery, wellbeing and retention.