Manamperi, S; Munmulla, T; Navaratnam, S and Zhang, G (2026) Impact of economic inflation on the mental health of construction professionals: A quantitative study. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 152(1): 04025228, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Economic inflation remains a persistent and multifaceted challenge, creating uncertainty across various sectors, particularly affecting the construction industry. As a cornerstone of financial stability, the construction sector plays a vital role in shaping nations, building infrastructure, and driving societal growth. However, amid discussions of inflation and economic trends, the mental health of the construction workforce has often been overlooked, emerging as an unrecognized casualty of inflation's impact. Despite its significance, limited attention has been paid to understanding how inflation affects the mental well-being of industry professionals. This research explores the intricate relationship between economic inflation and the psychological well-being of construction professionals. Data were gathered through an online survey completed by 155 professionals globally. Results indicated how inflation intensifies stressors such as job insecurity, financial instability, workload pressures, and safety concerns. Among the respondents, 40% indicated that they were experiencing moderate stress levels, which tended to affect their focus, mood, or behavior. Notably, 48% of respondents reported increased stress levels directly attributable to inflation, and the percentage of professionals with high stress levels increased by nearly 24% due to inflation. Moreover, inflation intensified the negative mental health effects on professionals experiencing salary reductions. The results also indicated that variations in mental health are significantly influenced by demographic factors and working environments, with high levels of statistical significance (<0.001). Additionally, the lingering effects of past stressors were evident in present mental health outcomes, with inflation acting as a critical covariate. Ultimately, this study contributes to a broader conversation about the need to prioritize mental health within the construction industry. The findings highlight key considerations for policymakers and stakeholders in shaping the strategies to foster a more resilient, supportive, and employee well-being work environment.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction; financial stress; industry professionals; job insecurity; macroeconomic instability; mental health |
| Index terms: | mental health, construction industry, mood, work environment, construction professional, demographic factor, construction sector, inflation, variation, well-being, survey, workload, strategy, stability, stressors |
| Subjects: | demography, behavioral psychology, structural engineering, economic analysis, health conditions and diseases, industry analysis, management, contractual condition, professional development, data collection methods, mental health and wellbeing |
| Topics: | Engineering Principles, Health and Safety, Human Resources, Urban Studies, Organizational Design, Contract Administration, Information Management, Research Practice, Business Strategy |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here