Cost remains the biggest barrier keeping workers from getting help
More than one in three carries high mental health risk, and the bill — measured in lost productivity — keeps climbing.
According to the TELUS Health Mental Health Index (MHI) for Q1 2026, the national score held at 63.1 for the second consecutive period, unchanged from September 2025 and lodged firmly in the "strained" band of the index's 0-to-100 scale.
The proportion of workers in the high-risk category sits at 34 percent — identical to where it stood when TELUS Health launched the index in April 2020.
31 percent of workers say their mental health negatively affects their productivity, up two points from the previous period.
The report calculates losses in workdays: workers scoring between 0 and 20 on the MHI lose 72.1 days per year, compared with 20.9 days for those scoring 80 to 100.
Workers who never work while unwell score 77.6 and lose 17.2 days annually; those who work unwell five days a week score 39.0 and lose 76.7 days.
The gap widens further when broken down by support needs.
Workers who want better mental health support from their employer score 18 points lower than those who don't, and lose 48.1 workdays per year — 26 more than workers requiring no additional support.
60 percent of workers describe their organisation's culture as supportive of their wellbeing, scoring 67.9 on the MHI.
The 12 percent who disagree score 48.0 and lose 59.3 workdays annually, compared with 31.3 days for those in supportive environments — a gap of nearly 28 days per worker per year.
25 percent of workers want better mental health support from their employer, and 27 percent want better physical health support.
Workers wanting mental health support score 54.0 on the MHI, nine points below the national average, and lose 48.1 days per year compared to 26.6 days for those who need no employer support.
Non-managers are 70 percent more likely than managers to say they need no additional support — but managers are more likely to report concern about stigma when seeking help.
45 percent of workers cite cost or affordability as the primary barrier to mental health support.
Those workers score 21 points lower on the MHI and lose 19 more workdays annually compared to workers facing no barriers.
The 7 percent who lack energy to seek care score 47.5 — nearly 16 points below the national average — and lose 52.7 workdays per year.
Workers over 50 are nearly three times more likely than those under 40 to report no barriers to support.
Younger workers, who disproportionately report unmet needs, are nearly twice as likely as those over 50 to want better mental health support and 70 percent more likely to want better physical health support.
Anxiety (55.5) has ranked as the lowest MHI sub-score for nearly four years, followed by isolation (58.8). 35 percent of workers report feeling anxious and 32 percent feel isolated.
All sub-scores except optimism and general psychological health either declined or held flat from September 2025.
13 percent of workers are actively considering leaving their jobs, scoring 53.5 on the MHI and losing 50.8 workdays per year — 20 more than workers with no intention to leave.
A further 23 percent are uncertain, losing 17 more days annually than those not considering a change.
Better career opportunities (19 percent), higher salary (14 percent), and better benefits (14 percent) lead the stated reasons for leaving.
Saskatchewan posted the highest provincial score at 67.9; Alberta the lowest at 61.7.
Technology workers saw the steepest decline among major sectors, falling 4.5 points to 59.0. Women score 60.5 versus 65.7 for men, a gap that has persisted since 2020.
Workers with at least one child score 59.5, compared with 64.8 for those without children, and scores rise steadily with age — from 54.4 for the 20-to-29 cohort to 71.4 for workers aged 60 to 69.
The report draws on an online survey of 3,000 employed or recently employed adults in Canada, conducted between February 25 and March 9.
