Ranking of Italy’s most stressful professions: See which ones they are

Doctors, nurses, salespeople and cashiers are among the professionals most affected by work-related mental health problems in Italy. That is according to a survey by the National Institute for Insurance Against Workplace Accidents (Inail), using data from 2019 to 2023.

The study shows that the health care sector accounts for the largest share of records of work-related mental disorders, with 11.8% of the cases analyzed by economic sector. It is followed by retail trade, with 9.8%, and public administration, with 6.3%.

The data are part of a report released by Inail in September 2025 and help identify the professional activities most frequently appearing in reports of workplace-related psychological problems.

Although these sectors rank at the top, the percentages do not represent the share of workers who experience stress in each profession.

What are Italy’s most stressful professions?

In health care, doctors account for 29.1% of the sector’s records, followed by nurses, at 20%, and professionals responsible for transporting patients, at 18.2%.

In retail trade, salespeople and cashiers account for 56.3% of the records. In public administration, employees who perform secretarial duties account for 22.2%.

These occupations involve different sources of pressure, such as dealing with the public, professional responsibilities, long working hours and difficulties in workplace relationships.

The survey also identified significant associations between mental disorders and activities in banking, investment funds and call centers.

This does not necessarily mean that these professions have the highest stress rates among all Italian workers.

More than 2,000 cases of mental disorders in five years

Between 2019 and 2023, Inail received 2,047 reports of work-related mental disorders. Of those, 149 were officially recognized as occupational diseases, equivalent to 7.3%.

The rate is significantly lower than that recorded for other occupational diseases, which had a recognition rate of 47.1% during the same period.

According to the institute, one of the main difficulties lies in proving the link between psychological illness and working conditions.

Mental disorders can have different causes, making it more complex to identify the professional factors involved.

Another Italian monitoring system, MalProf, recorded 782 reports of mental disorders between 2019 and 2023. In 54% of them, a link to occupational activity was identified.

Among the diagnoses analyzed, adjustment disorders accounted for 60.4% of cases, followed by reactions to severe stress, at 25.5%, and post-traumatic stress disorder, at 8.7%.

Working hours and professional relationships influence mental health

Work-related stress is not related only to the number of tasks or hours worked.

Relationships with colleagues and supervisors, the organization of activities and the possibility of physical and mental recovery also influence workers’ well-being.

The Marel surveillance system, used by Inail, identified interpersonal relationships and the role played by the worker within the organization as important exposure factors associated with mental disorders.

In activities that require on-call shifts and frequent schedule changes, as happens in hospitals, difficulty maintaining a regular sleep routine can worsen physical and psychological strain.

Night work and rotating shifts can also interfere with biological rhythms, affecting rest and recovery periods.

Italy seeks to expand prevention of occupational stress

Inail considers it necessary to improve the early identification of mental health problems and strengthen prevention measures in companies.

Recommended actions include training employers and workers, improving internal communication and adopting policies aimed at reducing psychosocial risks.

The institute also draws attention to the underreporting of work-related mental disorders.

The difficulty in officially recognizing these cases indicates that the available records may not reflect the full extent of the problem among Italian workers.