Poor mental health could result in $7.4bn in lost productivity in NSW, report finds

New research highlights the impact the pandemic has had on people’s lives, their ability to work and the need for more mental health support in NSW. Photograph: Roos Koole/Getty Images

Lost productivity due to poor mental health will see almost $7.5bn ripped from the New South Wales economy by 2025 if more is not done to support workers and businesses, according to a new report.

The Impact Economics and Policy report – commissioned by the NSW Council of Social Service (Ncoss) – looked at the compounding impacts of repeated natural disasters and the pandemic on the mental health of the population.