Your Gen Z clients and employees are facing greater mental health difficulties and increasing rates of chronic disease compared to other age groups. Antidepressant claims are growing at double the rate of overall plan members, mental health disorders account for 50 per cent of long-term disability claims for Gen Z (60 per cent for women) and growth in claims for physical conditions are up to three times higher than other age cohorts.
The report from Sun Life, encouraging employers to promote their employee assistance plans (EAPs), draws on data from more than 20,000 employers and three million plan members. Entitled The kids are all grown up: Checking in on Generation Z, the report notes that this cohort will dominate Canada’s workforce by 2030. “Their health challenges ripple through every workplace and community,” the company states in an announcement about the publication’s release.
The research focuses on mental health, chronic disease, obesity and the impact of extreme climate events on health. “We found that in many areas, the impacts on Gen Z were pronounced,” the report states. It also looks at the impacts on Gen Z’s mental health (digital connectivity, COVID-19 lockdowns during formative years, climate anxiety and health impact and financial concerns), the types of mental disorders that are prevalent and the coping mechanisms that each gender uses.
Antidepressant claims
According to Sun Life’s research, antidepressant claims for Gen Z employees and clients, those born between 1997 and 2012, grew two times faster than all plan members between 2021 and 2024. Gen Z men’s use of antidepressants increased more than 50 per cent during the same period.
More, growth in claims for drugs to treat asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are two to three times higher among Gen Z employees than other age cohorts. Diabetes drug claims grew two to four times faster among those under age 30 when compared with those between the ages of 30 and 60. Women’s diabetes claims are growing 40 per cent faster than men’s.
“While the incidence of chronic disease among Gen Z employees is still much lower than that of older employee cohorts, Sun Life data highlights that the prevalence of chronic disease incidence among young Canadians is rising, and by the time today’s Gen Z employees reach middle age, chronic disease incidence could be significantly greater,” they write.
