Nearly half of 18 to 24-year-olds surveyed for Bupa’s Wellbeing Index said working alone made them feel lonely in 2026, a rise that contrasts with a slight fall across workers of all ages.

The proportion among younger respondents rose from 42 per cent in 2025 to 47 per cent in 2026. Across all age groups, it fell from 35 to 34 per cent. The 2026 figure was 28 per cent among those aged 45–54 and 18 per cent among those aged 55 and over.

The report included responses from 5,262 people on working and feeling lonely. Its findings describe respondents’ experiences; they do not establish that working from home causes loneliness.

Younger workers also reported greater disruption from mental health difficulties. Among 18 to 24-year-olds, 41 per cent said mental health had affected their ability to work during the previous 12 months, compared with 29 per cent across all ages.

Some 87 per cent of younger workers said they went to work with a mental health issue, against 70 per cent overall. Mental health was a contributing factor in leaving work during the previous year for 35 per cent of younger respondents, compared with 24 per cent across all ages.

Separate Office for National Statistics figures covering July to September show that loneliness extends beyond the workplace. Among people aged 16–29, 34 per cent reported feeling lonely always, often or some of the time, compared with 25 per cent overall and 22 per cent among those aged 50–69. Those different age bands and questions are not directly comparable with Bupa’s workplace findings.

Shazna Khanom, Bupa’s head of clinical mental health, said the pending final publication of Alan Milburn’s review of young people and work highlighted the need to consider support within employment, not simply access to jobs. She acknowledged the benefits of remote and flexible working, while urging employers to prioritise connection and early support. Workers struggling with mental health concerns should speak to their manager, human resources team or a healthcare professional, she said.

Kelly Nicoll, immediate past president of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, said its own research suggested around half of 18 to 24-year-olds found home and hybrid working made workplace relationships harder to build. More than two-fifths feared reduced face-to-face contact restricted their development; a third felt demotivated.

She called for structured supervision, daily informal catch-ups and weekly and monthly one-to-one sessions covering performance, wellbeing and career development.