An investigation and comparison of the mental health of the construction industry workforce prior to and during the pandemic in UK

Purpose of this paper This research investigated and compared the mental health of those working within the construction industry prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. There had been research exploring this topic prior to the pandemic. However, there had been limited exploration into how the pandemic period effected mental health, despite the speculation that the pandemic caused the mental health of those working in the construction industry in the UK to decline. Design/methodology/approach The research was carried out using a mixed methodology, including primary, secondary, qualitative, and quantitative data. Due to the complex nature of the topic, but also the need to explore past and current events, the research question required a mixed methodology. Findings There were high rates of poor mental health and suicides within the construction industry in the UK. This had been well documented for some years, the pandemic was expected to exacerbate these issues due to restrictions and changed stressors. However, this research showed that the mental health of construction workers did not necessarily worsen, in addition to there being a lower level of suicides in 2020 compared to 2019. However, the rates had been still alarmingly high, and the construction industry had reached crisis point. Further research needed to be carried out in the years following the pandemic. Original value The mental health of construction workers in the UK had been consistently poor over at least the last decade. Additionally, there were high rates of suicides within the construction industry. However, the speculation that statistics would show declining mental health in the industry during the pandemic, was proved to be incorrect by the primary and secondary research. The research provided data and discussions on the mental health of construction employees prior and amid the global pandemic in UK. It sheded light on the post-pandemic era on how to improve the mental wellbeing of employees for all stakeholders in the construction industry