Gen Zs in the Philippines Are Facing More Mental Health Issues Than the Rest of the World, Study Says
The pandemic took a toll on everyone, but perhaps none more than Gen Z, the generation where many came of age and entered the workforce during a global crisis. According to the AXA Study of Mind Health and Wellbeing 2023, Gen Z has struggled in the workplace—particularly in the Philippines. The study found that more Filipino respondents aged between 18 years old and 24 years old admitted to experiencing depression and anxiety than the global percentage. Approximately 35 percent of Gen Z Filipinos experienced depression compared to 27 percent of Gen Zs globally. Meanwhile, 16 percent admitted to anxiety, compared to 12 percent globally.
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“While the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on mind health across society, the latest findings from the annual AXA Study of Mind Health and Wellbeing 2023 has revealed that Gen Z (aged 18-24) appears to be taking the brunt of the impact, with more than half of Gen Z globally (54%) and in Asia (51%) experiencing poor mental health,” said AXA.
On a larger level, Gen Zs in Asia and globally have the highest proportion of individuals experiencing emotional and psychosocial stress among all age groups. Meanwhile, Gen Zs have the lowest percentage of individuals who feel they are “flourishing” or at the pinnacle of their mental health.
“While mind health has rightly attracted greater attention in the wake of the pandemic’s disruption on our lives, these findings emphasize that the next generation of talent across Asia are facing severe challenges,” said Gordon Watson, CEO of AXA Asia and Africa. “Companies need to examine how they can make a tangible difference with support relevant to the needs of their Gen Z employees, not only to help with productivity and retention but to tackle this urgent issue affecting societies across the region.”
Based on AXA’s research, there are a lot of factors in play that are impacting the mental health of Gen Z. The survey identified the key challenges that Gen Z face, specifically uncertainty about the future, struggling to separate work life and non-work life, finding it hard to keep up with the pace of change at work, and a lack of job-skill fit.
These obstacles have proven so challenging, that in Asia, Gen Zs are the age group with the highest intention of resigning in the next 12 months at 21 percent. But the news isn’t all bad. AXA has discovered that in Asia, companies are 2.5 times more likely to provide mental health support.
“While we see a considerable improvement in mind health globally, this does not mean that we can just sit back and simply let things run their course. The insights from this study help organizational leaders and people managers steer their initiatives to better benefit our employees’ physical and mental health,” said Bernardo Serrano Lopez, AXA Philippines President and Chief Executive Officer. “At AXA, we take pride in consistently supporting programs that promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace. And we take these learnings to continue evolving our programs to better suit our employees’ needs and to further our vision to become a company where they are #FitToFlourish.”
Despite the fact that 51 percent of Gen Z in Asia is struggling with mental health, Gen Z has shown a greater ability to work under stress. And on a global level, 36 percent of respondents agree that the stigma around mental health is disappearing.
It’s clear that there’s more work to be done on the mental health front, but the first step to addressing an issue is understanding it, which companies can now do through AXA’s mind health report.
