Shift workers, women and new recruits are most at risk of work related stress, anxiety and depression, an ESRI report has found.

According to the 10-year study, 50% of work related illnesses affect physical health such as musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) while 18% suffer with mental health issues such as anxiety and depression (SAD).

The organisation says those on shift work or irregular patterns are more susceptible to both MSD and SAD due to the demands placed on them.

The research also measured the number of days absent for the most recent illness reported by workers in a 12‐month reference period.

The average length of absence was 15.9 days for MSD and 17 days for SAD.

Both involve longer absences than the average for all other types of work‐related illnesses (12.8 days).

The risk of MSD is greatest for workers in the construction, agriculture and health services sectors.

The risk is lowest for workers in the education sector and in “other services”, which includes finance, information and communications among others.

The report also notes that instances of work related illnesses peaked during the Celtic Tiger and eased during the recession.

In 2013, an estimated 55,000 workers in Ireland suffered from a work-related illness, resulting in the loss of 790,000 days of work.

“The research findings point to a need for targeted measures to address work-related illnesses, not only to assist workers experiencing difficulties, but also to tackle the issues of lost productivity, and the associated costs for health care and social protection,” said report author Helen Russell, associate research professor at the ESRI.

“As the rate of work-related illness increased during the boom years, it is especially important to consider implementing such measures as the economic recovery accelerates.”