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Occupational Stress Research

Electronic Engineering Draftspersons and Technicians: how stressful is the job?

Ranked #222 of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 44.2/100. The biggest exposure is precision and monotony.

Composite stress score

44.2/100

National average: 47.4

Rank (most stressful)

#222 of 317

Australian ANZSCO occupations

More stress-exposed than

30.0% of occupations

By composite stress score

Quick answer: Electronic Engineering Draftspersons and Technicians are less stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #222 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 44.2/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are precision and monotony and responsibility burden.

Electronic Engineering Draftspersons and Technicians 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 demands29 vs 37.9 avg
Responsibility burden61.8 vs 60 avg
Pace and demands52.9 vs 56 avg
Lack of control16.2 vs 24.5 avg
Precision and monotony69.9 vs 67.7 avg
Physical environment35.3 vs 38.2 avg

Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.

What drives the score for electronic engineering draftspersons and technicians

Compared with the average Australian occupation, electronic engineering draftspersons and technicians score furthest above the norm on precision and monotony (69.9 vs 67.7 average) and responsibility burden (61.8 vs 60 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is importance of being exact or accurate at 84.8/100 — against an all-occupation average of 78.6.

The occupation scores below the national average for emotional demands (29 vs 37.9), lack of control (16.2 vs 24.5) and pace and demands (52.9 vs 56), which moderates the overall ranking.

See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.

The biggest stress factors for electronic engineering draftspersons and technicians

  1. 1Precision and monotony

    Importance of Being Exact or Accurate

    84.8/100

    All-occupation average: 78.6

  2. 2Pace and demands

    Duration of Typical Work Week

    73.5/100

    All-occupation average: 62.1

  3. 3Responsibility burden

    Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results

    72/100

    All-occupation average: 70.4

  4. 4Responsibility burden

    Coordinate or Lead Others

    64/100

    All-occupation average: 64.9

  5. 5Pace and demands

    Time Pressure

    64/100

    All-occupation average: 71.6

All 22 stress factors for electronic engineering draftspersons and technicians

The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.

Emotional demands

29 vs 37.9 avg
  • Deal With Physically Aggressive People7 vs 14
  • Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People39.5 vs 50.4
  • Frequency of Conflict Situations40.5 vs 49.3

Responsibility burden

61.8 vs 60 avg
  • Responsibility for Outcomes and Results58.5 vs 58.5
  • Responsible for Others' Health and Safety60.8 vs 57.3
  • Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results72 vs 70.4
  • Consequence of Error53.8 vs 49
  • Coordinate or Lead Others64 vs 64.9

Pace and demands

52.9 vs 56 avg
  • Time Pressure64 vs 71.6
  • Duration of Typical Work Week73.5 vs 62.1
  • Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment17 vs 23.1
  • Frequency of Decision Making63 vs 70.7
  • Level of Competition46.8 vs 52.4

Lack of control

16.2 vs 24.5 avg
  • Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions14.2 vs 23.6
  • Amount of Highly Structured Work18.2 vs 25.3

Precision and monotony

69.9 vs 67.7 avg
  • Importance of Repeating Same Tasks55 vs 56.9
  • Importance of Being Exact or Accurate84.8 vs 78.6

Physical environment

35.3 vs 38.2 avg
  • Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable55.2 vs 52.3
  • Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting29.8 vs 24.9
  • Very Hot or Cold Temperatures33.5 vs 32.4
  • Exposed to Disease or Infections4.8 vs 20.2
  • Physical Proximity53.2 vs 61.1

The elevated stress categories for electronic engineering draftspersons and technicians map to recognised psychosocial work factors under ISO 45003 and Australian WHS legislation. Learn what each one is and how it can be controlled:

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

Electronic Engineering Draftspersons and Technicians: how stressful is the job?

Electronic Engineering Draftspersons and Technicians rank #222 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 44.2/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 30.0% of Australian jobs.

What are the biggest mental health stress factors for electronic engineering draftspersons and technicians?

The highest-scoring hazards are importance of being exact or accurate (84.8/100), duration of typical work week (73.5/100) and impact of decisions on co-workers or company results (72/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in responsibility burden and precision and monotony.

Which stress factors are lower for electronic engineering draftspersons and technicians?

Electronic Engineering Draftspersons and Technicians score below the national average for emotional demands (29 vs 37.9 average) and pace and demands (52.9 vs 56 average) and lack of control (16.2 vs 24.5 average) and physical environment (35.3 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 electronic engineering draftspersons and technicians. 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.

Clearhead Psychosocial Risk Pulse Tool

Know your industry's risks. Then measure your own.

Population-level data shows where the hazards concentrate — but psychosocial risk legislation requires you to identify and manage the risks in your own workforce. Clearhead's Psychosocial Risk Pulse gives you that evidence, quarterly.

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