More than six in ten UK adults using weight-loss injections say they have experienced a boost in confidence at work over the past year, according to new research from a weight-loss clinic.
The findings are set out in myBMI’s More Than Scales: the impact of obesity report, based on a survey of 5,000 adults across the UK. The report said 61 percent of the one and a half million people currently taking weight-loss injections reported improved confidence at work over the last 12 months.
It compared with 30 percent of the general population and 19 percent of non-users.
Confidence Gains Reported by Younger Workers
The report suggested the confidence boost was strongest among younger working-age adults. It found that millennial workers were the most likely to report increased confidence at work, with more than 70 percent of those using weight-loss injections saying they had experienced a boost. Generation Z workers followed, with 60 percent reporting improved confidence.
The report also suggested the benefits were being felt beyond the workplace. Some 63 percent of people using weight-loss injections said they had more confidence at social events and family gatherings, compared with 30 percent of the wider public.
myBMI said its findings pointed to the potential knock-on effects of improved confidence for workplace wellbeing, particularly in roles where stress and performance pressures can be high.
Regional Differences in Workplace Confidence
The research indicated that workplace confidence gains varied significantly by city. Bristol recorded the highest level, with 81 percent of weight-loss injection users reporting improved confidence at work.
Other cities with high levels of reported workplace confidence included Belfast at 73 percent, London at 68 percent and Plymouth at 68 percent. Cardiff and Nottingham both recorded 63 percent, while Brighton was listed at 61 percent and Southampton at 60 percent.
Further down the list, Glasgow stood at 58 percent. Liverpool, Newcastle and Norwich were each recorded at 57 percent. Manchester was listed at 54 percent, Edinburgh at 53 percent and Birmingham at 51 percent. The lowest figure reported was Sheffield at 36 percent.
Mental Health and Self-Esteem Improvements
The report said improvements were also reported in mental wellbeing. Among people using weight-loss injections, 65 percent said their mental health had improved over the last 12 months and 64 percent said their self-esteem had increased.
myBMI described the findings as evidence that weight-loss injections could have benefits beyond physical health, including a positive impact on confidence and day-to-day functioning.
Ayesha Bashir, a weight-loss expert and prescribing pharmacist at myBMI, said increased workplace confidence could be a major benefit for people who were eligible to use medication as part of their weight-loss journey.
“For those using medication as part of their weight loss journey, increased confidence in the workplace is a major benefit for those that are eligible,” she said.
Bashir said weight-loss injections were “a proven powerful tool to treat obesity” and argued the research also showed potential benefits for mental health.
“Weight-loss injections are a proven powerful tool to treat obesity. However, our research also highlights the benefits to mental health that weight loss injections can have. Weight loss is shown to improve sleep quality, reduce anxiety, and ease symptoms of depression,” she said.
She said the benefits could come from both physical changes, such as improved hormone balance and reduced inflammation and psychological changes such as greater confidence and less stress.
“These benefits come from both improvements in physical health such as a better hormone balance and reduced inflammation but importantly, psychological ones too such as greater confidence and less stress,” she said.
Bashir also linked anxiety symptoms to excess weight and workplace confidence, arguing that stress responses could be intensified and affect how people feel at work.
“Weight loss is linked with improvements in mental health. Symptoms of anxiety such as increased heart rate, shallow breathing and tension can be heightened by excess weight and damage confidence when at work,” she said.
She added that the benefits were not instant and should not be seen as a quick fix.
Wider Labour Market and Economic Context
The report was published as official figures pointed to a challenging labour market backdrop. myBMI cited Office for National Statistics data stating that UK unemployment rates remained at a near five-year high of 5.1 percent.
The report also pointed to broader concerns about obesity and workforce participation, citing the Institute for Public Policy Research, which it said linked obesity to rising economic inactivity.
myBMI said obesity was estimated to cost upwards of £100bn a year, with 266,000 jobs lost through unemployment and sick days, and argued that weight-loss injections could have a wider economic impact if they supported improved health and confidence.
The findings also come as a 3,000-person trial launched in Manchester to study the impact of weight-loss injections on issues such as employment, adding to growing interest in how the medications may affect both health outcomes and participation in work.
The survey research was conducted by polling firm Censuswide for my-BMI.co.uk and polled 5,000 respondents aged 18 and over, including 1,000 currently using weight-loss injections in December 2025.