Quick answer: Child Care Centre Managers are notably more stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #83 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 51.3/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are responsibility burden and emotional demands.
Child Care Centre Managers stress profile vs the national average
Each occupation is scored across six categories of workplace mental health hazard, built from 22 stress factors identified in SafeWork Australia's occupational hazards data. Higher scores mean greater exposure.
- Emotional demands46.3 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden82.2 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands59.2 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control14.8 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony71.6 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment33.9 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for child care centre managers
Compared with the average Australian occupation, child care centre managers score furthest above the norm on responsibility burden (82.2 vs 60 average), emotional demands (46.3 vs 37.9 average) and precision and monotony (71.6 vs 67.7 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is responsibility for outcomes and results at 89.5/100 — against an all-occupation average of 58.5.
The occupation scores below the national average for lack of control (14.8 vs 24.5) and physical environment (33.9 vs 38.2), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for child care centre managers
- 1Responsibility burden
Responsibility for Outcomes and Results
89.5/100
All-occupation average: 58.5
- 2Responsibility burden
Responsible for Others' Health and Safety
88/100
All-occupation average: 57.3
- 3Pace and demands
Frequency of Decision Making
87/100
All-occupation average: 70.7
- 4Responsibility burden
Coordinate or Lead Others
83.8/100
All-occupation average: 64.9
- 5Pace and demands
Duration of Typical Work Week
83/100
All-occupation average: 62.1
All 22 stress factors for child care centre managers
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
46.3 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People16.2 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People55.5 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations67.2 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
82.2 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results89.5 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety88 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results78.5 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error71.2 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others83.8 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
59.2 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure73.2 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week83 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment4.8 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making87 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition48.2 vs 52.4
Lack of control
14.8 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions15.5 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work14 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
71.6 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks67 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate76.2 vs 78.6
Physical environment
33.9 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable44 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting1 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures9.5 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections39.5 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity75.2 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for child care centre managers map to recognised psychosocial work factors under ISO 45003 and Australian WHS legislation. Learn what each one is and how it can be controlled:
- Exposure to Violence →Whether workers face the risk of physical or verbal aggression at work.
- Exposure to Trauma →Whether workers encounter traumatic events or material as part of their role.
- Work Interaction →The quality of relationships and interactions within the team and organisation.
- Work Demands →The volume, pace, and complexity of what is asked of workers.
- Role Clarity →Whether workers clearly understand what is expected of them.
- Leadership →The quality and consistency of management behaviour at all levels.
Methodology
Clearhead scored 317 occupations in the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) using SafeWork Australia's Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset. We kept only the 22 hazard variables relating to mental health — such as conflict exposure, decision-making pressure, and time pressure — and deliberately excluded physical safety risks like working at height.
The 22 variables are grouped into six categories: emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony, and physical environment. An occupation's composite score is the equally weighted average of its six category scores. All scores run 0–100, where higher means more stress-inducing.
Two control-related variables are reported by SafeWork with inverted polarity (“freedom to make decisions” and “structured versus unstructured work”). We reverse these and present them as lack of autonomy to make decisions and amount of highly structured work, so that a higher score consistently indicates greater stress exposure.
Hazard exposure describes the average conditions of an occupation, not any individual's experience — everyone has a different tolerance for these challenges, and conditions vary between workplaces.
Frequently asked questions
Child Care Centre Managers: how stressful is the job?
Child Care Centre Managers rank #83 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 51.3/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 73.8% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for child care centre managers?
The highest-scoring hazards are responsibility for outcomes and results (89.5/100), responsible for others' health and safety (88/100) and frequency of decision making (87/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands and precision and monotony.
Which stress factors are lower for child care centre managers?
Child Care Centre Managers score below the national average for lack of control (14.8 vs 24.5 average) and physical environment (33.9 vs 38.2 average), which partially offsets the higher-scoring hazards.
Where does this data come from?
Scores are derived from SafeWork Australia's Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset. Clearhead filtered the dataset to the 22 mental-health-related hazard variables — excluding physical safety risks — and scored 317 ANZSCO occupations across six categories: emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony, and physical environment.
Beyond the average
This is the average hazard exposure for child care centre managers. Your workforce isn't average.
Clearhead's Psychosocial Risk Pulse measures the actual psychosocial risk in your organisation, quarterly — across 18 ISO 45003-aligned work factors.