The employee assistance programme (EAP) sector has grown by 69% since 2008 totalling a current value of £69.13m, research reveals.
Latest figures from the UK Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA) found just 8.2 million employees in the UK were supported by an EAP in 2008, rising to 13.79 million this year and representing 47% of the working population.
In addition, 23 of the top 25 companies listed in the 2013 Sunday Times Best Companies list offered an EAP to their employees.
Return on investment for customers has also increased in recent years, the average annual cost of a full service EAP for a company of 100 employees has dropped since 2008 to £14 per person, although this price is likely to be significantly lower for larger firms.
While EAP usage figures vary between providers and there is no universal method of measuring this, the EAPA estimated that overall usage during the recession is up and, in line with this, the return on investment for users has also increased.
UK EAPA chair Andrew Kinder said: "EAPs play a significant role in supporting the health of the nation and this new report estimates that half the UK workforce - that's 13.8 million people - are supported by an EAP today.
"These programmes deliver valuable support, information and assistance to employees and have been recognised by government as being an important wellbeing initiative that can help employers to effectively manage sickness absence."
Enlighten's (who carried out the study on behalf of UK EAPA) Paul Roberts added: "EAPs are a natural choice for employers who want to support good employee health and wellbeing and with continued investment from providers in new technology, employees can expect to see increasing levels of choice and accessibility when it comes to ways that they can source information and services."
