Nearly one in three workers in Europe are suffering from stress, costing industry €20bn (£13bn) last year and contributing to anxiety, depression, cardiovascular diseases and cancer, according to a new EU study.

Data from the Bilbao-based European agency for safety and health at work released yesterday shows 41 million people - 28% of the workforce and equivalent to the population of Spain - suffering ailments linked to work pressure, lack of control and monotony.

Violence, bullying and other forms of harassment at work are also growing, the study found, with 3 million people claiming to have suffered sexual harassment and 12 million intimidation and bullying. Stress is surpassed only by back pain as a cause of absenteeism. In Britain, 5 million days are wasted each year due to stress.

But the £13bn cost to industry measures only days lost, not the loss of productivity from under-performing staff.

The agency, which launched its Working on Stress campaign yesterday at the European parliament in Strasbourg to raise awareness about the condition, wants more-positive attitudes towards stress among staff and employers.

Better defined roles at work, greater control for individuals and better communication would all help improve job satisfaction and therefore the quality of work, it says.

The study found that 20% of cardiovascular diseases in Europe were due to work-related stress. Musculo-skeletal disorders and gastro-intestinal diseases, including irritable bowel syndrome, were also linked to it. Women, often juggling childcare and work, are more likely to be affected than men, says the agency.