The mental health of Luxembourg’s workforce is a cause for concern. In 2025, 6.6% of employees and civil servants surveyed reported having had suicidal thoughts over the past 12 months. The figure stood at 2.2% in 2014. Over the course of a decade, this proportion has therefore tripled, peaking at 7.4% in 2023. In other words, nearly one in 15 workers is affected.
These figures are taken from the Quality of Work Index 2025, carried out for the Chamber of Employees (CSL) and the University of Luxembourg. The 2025 survey covers 3,171 employees, compared with 1,532 in the first survey carried out in 2014. The authors caution, however, that this increase does not mean that the risk of self-harm has risen by the same proportion. Rather, it reflects the reported presence of significant psychological distress amongst a growing proportion of workers.
The phenomenon is found across all sections of the working-age population. The study found no statistically significant differences based on gender or residential status. Age, however, reveals a marked difference: 9.4% of 16–24-year-olds report suicidal thoughts, compared with 7.7% of 25–34-year-olds, 7% of 35–44-year-olds, 5.6% of 45–54-year-olds and 4.4% of those aged 55 and over. The authors point out, however, that this difference by age is not statistically significant in their sample.
Differences across sectors
There are also significant sectoral differences. The rate stands at 10.1% in professional, scientific and technical activities, 8.8% in human health and social work, and 8.5% in wholesale and retail trade, transport, accommodation and food services. At the other end of the scale, the manufacturing and extractive industries stand at 2%. Here too, the study cautions against drawing causal links: the sectoral categories cover a wide range of occupational realities.
The picture becomes clearer when the analysis turns to working conditions. People reporting suicidal thoughts report higher levels of time pressure, emotional demands, mental workload, harassment and risk of accidents. The difference is particularly marked in the case of psychological harassment, with a score of 32.8 amongst those affected compared with 20.1 amongst others, and for emotional demands, at 73.3 compared with 55.
Added to these pressures are lower levels of professional resources. The workers concerned score lower in terms of cooperation, participation, feedback, autonomy, pay, continuing professional development, prospects for promotion and job security. On this last indicator, the score stands at 56.3 amongst those reporting suicidal thoughts, compared with 72.2 for the others. The CSL also notes that, between 2018 and 2025, certain resources – notably cooperation, feedback and the sense of job security – appear to have declined.
A phenomenon with multiple causes
The divide extends beyond the workplace alone. Those affected also report lower overall well-being and a higher risk of burnout. Their average well-being score lies below the 50-point threshold on the WHO-5 scale, a level associated in the study with compromised emotional well-being. Furthermore, the disparities in job satisfaction and the risk of burnout appear to have widened since 2018.
Sleep is one of the most telling indicators. 70% of respondents reporting suicidal thoughts say they have difficulty sleeping, compared with 27% of the others. They are also more likely to report back problems, headaches, joint pain or stomach problems. Their average sleep duration is 6.2 hours per night, compared with 6.5 hours for the others – a difference of around 24 minutes.
However, the study refrains from establishing a direct causal link between work and suicidal thoughts. Suicide remains a multifactorial phenomenon, involving individual, relational, social and economic factors. However, the data highlight a cumulative effect: the employees concerned are more exposed to psychosocial pressures whilst having fewer professional resources at their disposal. For employers and labour market stakeholders alike, the issue therefore goes beyond individual health alone and directly raises questions about organisation, support, autonomy and recognition at work.
