Mental Health and Work: Australia

1. Mark Keese
Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs
OECD
MENTAL HEALTH AND WORK: AUSTRALIA
OECD conclusions and recommendations
Dissemination Seminar – 04/12/2015 – Canberra

2. TRENDS AND
OUTCOMES IN
AUSTRALIA

3. 3
The employment (Panel A) and unemployment (Panel B) gap between people
with mental ill-health and healthy peers is among the widest in Australia
Source: OECD (2015), Mental health and Work: Australia
POOR LABOUR MARKET OUTCOMES
Wide employment gap
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1.0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Switzerland Netherlands Norway United
States
Australia United
Kingdom
Sweden Austria Denmark Belgium
Mental disorder No disorder Relative: disorder/no disorder (right axis)
0
1
2
3
4
5
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Belgium Denmark Sweden Austria United
States
Australia United
Kingdom
Norway Netherlands Switzerland
%
%
Panel A. Employment-population ratios
Panel B. Unemployment rates

4. 4
Benefit recipiency rate in per cent by type of benefit and mental health status,
2011-12
Share of beneficiaries with a severe or moderate mental disorder as a total of each benefit
Source: OECD (2015), Mental health and Work: Australia
POOR LABOUR MARKET OUTCOMES
Higher likelihood to receive benefits
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Disability Support
Pension
Newstart/Youth
Allowance
Parenting Payment Other income-
replacement benefit
%
Moderate disorder (2011-12) Severe disorder (2011-12)
Total mental disorders (2001) Total mental disorders (2007-08)

5. 5
Both the disability recipiency rate (Panel A) and the share of mental disorders
(Panel B) have increased in recent decades
Source: OECD (2015), Mental health and Work: Australia
HIGH COSTS OF MENTAL ILL-HEALTH
Increase in disability benefits due to mental ill-health
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Latest year Mid-1990s OECD latest year
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
United Kingdom Netherlands Sweden Switzerland Austria Belgium Australia Norway
Earliest year available Latest year
%
%
Panel B. Share of beneficiarieswith a mental disorder in the total disability caseload
Panel A. Trends in total disability recipiency rates (in % of the population aged 20-64)

6. 6
Sickness absence and presenteeism rates by mental health status, 2011-12
Source: OECD (2015), Mental health and Work: Australia
HIGH COSTS OF MENTAL ILL-HEALTH
Mental ill-health seriously reduces productivity
Insert figure 4.4
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Severe Moderate No disorder
%
Sickness absence Presenteeism

7. THE WAY FORWARD:
POLICY CHANGES
NEEDED

8. • A shift in WHEN to intervene:
– Action is coming too late
• A shift in WHO intervenes:
– Mental health problems (MHPs) not only responsibility of
mental health system
• A shift in WHAT the intervention looks like:
– Care is inadequate due to divisions between systems
8
3 SHIFTS ARE NEEDED
When – Who – What

9. 3 SHIFTS ARE NEEDED
First steps made by Australia
9
• Whole-government policy declarations
• Acknowledgement of the importance of work
• Large knowledge base
• Understanding of collaborative government action
But more is needed...

10. MAIN
CHALLENGES

11. 11
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
• Unmet need for treatment is substantial
• No focus on employment outcomes
Recommendations
 Ensure high-quality treatment
 Develop employment knowledge among GPs
 Integrate mental health and employment support

12. 12
• Growing rates of youth unemployment and NEETs
• Poorer school completion among youth with MHPs
Recommendations
 Develop a coherent system to tackle early school leaving
 Offer school-to-work transition support early on
YOUTH SERVICES

13. 13
• MHPs gravely impact at-work productivity
• Return-to-work management for MHPs is lacking
Recommendations
 Improve mental health support in the workplace
 Make return-to-work management available to all
employees with MHPs
THE WORKPLACE

14. 14
• Mostly low-intensity mainstream services
• Poorest outcomes for jobseekers with MHPs
Recommendations
 Improve access to employment services for all jobseekers
with MHPs
 Foster integrated mental health and employment services
EMPLOYMENT AND DISABILITY SERVICES

15. THANK YOU
For more information please visit:
http://www.oecd.org/employment/emp/mental-health-and-work.htm