A new study has found that job stress among employees in Ireland doubled from 8% in 2010 to 17% in 2015.
The ESRI research, funded by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), also found the level of job stress here was still below the average for 10 eestern European countries in 2015 (19%).
Workers in Ireland were more likely to report pressures and expose bullying, harassment and other forms of mistreatment - but less likely to report time pressure than their western European counterparts.
The study counted an employee as experiencing job stress if they reported experiencing stress at work 'always' or 'most of the time' - and also reported stress reactions, such as general fatigue, anxiety and sleep disturbance.
Experience of job stress by industrial sector | Source: European Working Conditions Survey, 2010 and 2015, pooled
In terms of stressful sectors, employees in the health sector (18%), public administration (16%) and the manufacturing sector (15%) experienced the highest levels of job stress.
While occupational groups most likely to experience stress were technical/associate professionals (20%), professionals (16%) and managers (14%).
It identified that job stress is more common among people experiencing high levels of certain workplace demands.
These were issues such as dealing with angry clients/customers, time pressure, bullying, harassment or discrimination and long working hours.
The report found those experiencing high levels of emotional demands were 21-times more likely to experience stress than those with the lowest levels.
While those with the highest levels of time pressure were 10-times more likely to be stressed - and those working over 40 hours per week were twice as likely to experience job stress.
"Duty of care"
The report has highlighted the importance for Irish firms to have policies in place to deal with job stress.
The ESRI said: "Under health and safety legislation employers have a duty of care to protect employees against any personal injury to mental health arising from job stress.
"The effects of job stress are substantial. International studies show that job stress is linked to poor physical and mental health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease and depression, and to negative impacts for firms through absenteeism, increased job turnover and reduced morale.
"This has a knock on effect on government finances and the economy more generally. "
The report showed that the most urgent need for action is in addressing psychosocial risks - such as bullying, harassment and violence, high levels of emotional demands and time pressure.
Report author Dr Helen Russell said: "Job stress is becoming a more important issue in the Irish workplace as the economy becomes increasingly service based.
"Employers need to manage these risks to prevent the significant individual and organisational costs of stress-related illness."
While Dr Sharon McGuinness, CEO of the HSA, added: "Understanding the complex array of factors which cause stress for individuals, in and out of work, is not simple.
"To then capture the many factors which are work-based, and which are therefore preventable, is harder still.
"So this research by the ESRI, combining both subjective and objective indicators of work and non-work-related stress helps us better understand ways that stress becomes an organisational issue."
