ZAGREB, 26 May (Hina) – Climate change, accelerated digitalisation, migration and an ageing workforce are significantly reshaping working conditions and daily life, while increasingly affecting workers’ mental health across almost all sectors, experts warned on Tuesday at a conference on psychosocial risks linked to modern crises.

The event was organised by the Croatian Institute of Public Health under the patronage of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.

Tomislav Benjak, assistant director of the institute, said Europe was facing population ageing alongside inflows of migrant and foreign workers and ongoing digital transformation, all of which were affecting mental health, particularly among working-age and older populations.

He said the only way to address these challenges was through interdisciplinary and cross-sector cooperation.

One of the global challenges, he added, is preventing the impact of climate change on the health of working-age adults, older people and children, warning that heatwaves will increase demand for emergency services and require clearer public health guidance.

Health should not be solely a matter for the healthcare system, but for all sectors of society, he said.

Occupational medicine specialist Karmen Bradvica Kelava warned that workplace digitalisation was contributing to vision and musculoskeletal disorders, as well as mental health issues such as nomophobia -В the fear of being unable to use a mobile phone -В sleep disorders, internet addiction and sedentary lifestyles linked to obesity and diabetes.

She said digitalisation could reduce workplace injuries and occupational diseases, but remote work also blurred working hours, increased social isolation and pressure, and reduced workers’ control over their workload.

She added that mental health conditions were not recognised as occupational diseases as they are not included on the official list of occupational illnesses.

Josipa Klišanin from the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy said workplaces must be safe and not a source of stress or psychosocial risk, stressing the need for predictability in working conditions.

She noted that new forms of work had already been incorporated into labour legislation, and that Croatia would soon transpose an EU directive on improving working conditions for platform workers, where algorithm-based management can add additional stress.

She also announced the launch of a national campaign titled “Together for Mental Health at Work.”