Workplace Harassment Statistics 2026 [Australia]
This roundup pulls together the key workplace harassment statistics for 2026 in Australia and beyond.
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Harassment and bullying remain widespread in workplaces across Australia and globally, harming wellbeing, safety, and careers.
The data is confronting — high rates of harassment, under-reporting, and widespread normalisation show just how deeply these behaviours are embedded across industries and age groups.
This roundup pulls together the key workplace harassment statistics for 2026, giving you a clear, data-driven snapshot of the problem so you can benchmark your organisation and take meaningful steps toward a safer, more respectful workplace.
Overall Prevalence Of Workplace Harassment
23% of workers worldwide have experienced violence or harassment at work [1].
18% of workers globally report psychological harassment, the most common type worldwide [1].
Australia and New Zealand have the highest global rate, with 47.9% of workers experiencing violence or harassment at work [2].
1 in 5 Australian workers (19%) experienced workplace sexual harassment in the last 12 months [3].
1 in 3 Australians (33%) experienced workplace sexual harassment in the past five years [3].
Demographic Patterns of Workplace Harassment
Women in Australia experience workplace sexual harassment at significantly higher rates, with 41% harassed in the last five years [3].
47% of workers aged 15–17 experienced workplace sexual harassment in the past five years [3].
46% of workers aged 18–29 experienced workplace sexual harassment in the past five years [3].
Nearly half of Australians with disability (48%) experienced workplace sexual harassment in the last five years [3].
More than half of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers (56%) were harassed in the last five years [3].
70% of people with an intersex variation experienced workplace sexual harassment, the highest rate recorded [3].
46% of LGBTQ+ Australians experienced workplace sexual harassment in the last five years [3].
Industry-Specific Harassment Patterns
Workers in information, media and telecommunications report the highest rate of workplace harassment at 64% [4].
Women in arts and recreation services report extremely high harassment rates, with 72% harassed at work [4].
71% of women in electricity, gas, water and waste services experienced harassment at work [4].
62% of women working in mining experienced sexual harassment at work [4].
Common Harassing Behaviours
27% of workers experienced sexually suggestive comments or jokes at work in the last five years [5].
23% experienced intrusive questions about their private life or appearance [5].
19% experienced inappropriate staring or leering [5].
19% were subjected to unwanted touching, hugging, cornering or kissing [5].
38% of harassment incidents occurred at the victim’s main work area or workstation [5].
Technology-Facilitated Harassment
1 in 7 Australian adults admitted to engaging in technology-facilitated sexual harassment in a workplace context [6].
Men were more than three times as likely as women to perpetrate technology-facilitated harassment (24% vs 7%) [6].
Nearly half of perpetrators (45%) worked in male-dominated workplaces [6].
People with sexist attitudes were more than 15 times more likely to engage in technology-facilitated harassment [6].
How Does Harassment Impact Employees?
67% of people sexually harassed at work reported negative mental health impacts [7].
50% of workers reported reduced productivity following workplace sexual harassment [7].
62% reported decreased job satisfaction after harassment [7].
Sexual harassment costs the Australian economy more than $3.8 billion per year [8].
Reporting Harassing Behaviour
Only 18% of workers who experienced sexual harassment made a formal complaint [9].
40% of complaints resulted in no workplace changes [9].
42% of victims chose not to report because they felt the behaviour wasn’t serious enough [9].
38% stayed silent because it felt easier not to speak up [9].
31% did not report due to fear of being seen as overreacting [9].
Globally, only 54% of people told anyone about their harassment experience [1].
55% of global victims did not report because they believed it would be a waste of time [1].
Employer Response & Legal Compliance Gaps
99% of large Australian employers report having a sexual harassment policy, yet 28% are not monitoring prevalence [10].
Only 68% of employers offer anonymous reporting options [10].
40% of workplace leaders are unaware of their new legal positive duty to prevent sexual harassment [11].
Only 39% of employees are aware of the legal requirement to actively prevent harassment [11].
Reference List
[1] Gallup & ILO – Global Experiences of Violence and Harassment at Work
[2] Lloyd’s Register Foundation – Safe at Work? Global Experiential Survey
[3] Australian Human Rights Commission – Fifth National Survey on Workplace Sexual Harassment
[4] WGEA (2024) – Industry Estimates of Sexual Harassment
[5] AHRC Behavioural Breakdown – What Harassment Looks Like in Practice
[6] ANROWS – Technology-Facilitated Workplace Sexual Harassment Study
[7] AHRC Impacts Report – Effects of Sexual Harassment on Workers
[8] Our Watch / Deloitte – Economic Cost of Sexual Harassment
[9] AHRC – Reporting, Disclosure and Barriers Data
[10] WGEA – Employer Response and Organisational Controls Dataset
[11] Our Watch – Positive Duty Awareness Survey
Answers to the frequently asked questions.
Our last EAP was barely touched. Why would this be different?+
Most EAPs go unused because of how they're accessed, not because staff don't need them. Phoning a stranger, explaining yourself, then waiting weeks is enough to stop most people before they start. Foremind removes all three steps: staff see real counsellor profiles, pick someone themselves, and book the same day.
If you already have a provider, the question worth asking is what your current utilisation is. Most traditional EAPs sit in low single digits, which means you're paying for cover your people aren't reaching. If yours is being used, staff can get seen quickly, and it covers your psychosocial obligations, there's no reason to move. If not, it's worth knowing what you're getting for the spend.
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Counselling appointments are also available outside standard business hours, so shift-based and on-call teams aren't limited to a nine-to-five window. Those are two different things, and it's worth checking any provider offers both rather than just the crisis line.
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Practitioners hold membership with the Australian Counselling Association, the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia, or the Australian Association of Social Workers, along with a current Working with Children or Vulnerable People Check.
How much does an EAP cost?+
Pricing is usually per employee per month, based on total headcount rather than how many people use the service. Costs vary widely depending on whether sessions are bundled in and whether compliance tooling is included.
A more useful comparison is cost per employee who actually uses it. An EAP with 2% utilisation can work out several times more expensive per person helped than one that gets used. Foremind offers pay-as-you-go, inclusive session plans and compliance-inclusive plans, with discounted pricing for not-for-profits and charities.
For full breakdown of our plans, see our EAP pricing page or request a quote for a tailored proposal.
What information does an employer receive about EAP usage?+
Nothing that could identify anyone. All counselling is completely confidential and all reporting is anonymous - you'll never see who booked, when, or what was discussed.
What you do see is the aggregated picture: how many people are using it, what psychosocial risks are prevalent in the business, and which teams are under pressure. Enough to know the investment is working and where to act, never enough to identify a person. Reporting thresholds mean small teams can't be reverse-engineered from the data.
Does having an EAP meet an employer's psychosocial duty of care?+
No. An EAP is a control measure, and a valuable one, but it only addresses harm after it has occurred. It doesn't identify hazards, assess risk, or evidence that controls are working.
Australian WHS law requires you to identify psychosocial hazards, assess the risk, control it so far as is reasonably practicable, and review whether those controls are working — with documented evidence at each step. Offering counselling on its own leaves three of those four steps undocumented.
Foremind covers both in one platform. See how the compliance side works in our product tour.