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Occupational Stress Research

Electronics Trades Workers: how stressful is the job?

Ranked #193 of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 45.5/100. The biggest exposure is precision and monotony.

Composite stress score

45.5/100

National average: 47.4

Rank (most stressful)

#193 of 317

Australian ANZSCO occupations

More stress-exposed than

39.1% of occupations

By composite stress score

Quick answer: Electronics Trades Workers are moderately stress-exposed compared with other Australian occupations — ranked #193 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 45.5/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are physical environment and precision and monotony.

Electronics Trades Workers 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 demands33.8 vs 37.9 avg
Responsibility burden58.1 vs 60 avg
Pace and demands50 vs 56 avg
Lack of control18.1 vs 24.5 avg
Precision and monotony71.2 vs 67.7 avg
Physical environment41.8 vs 38.2 avg

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

What drives the score for electronics trades workers

Compared with the average Australian occupation, electronics trades workers score furthest above the norm on physical environment (41.8 vs 38.2 average) and precision and monotony (71.2 vs 67.7 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is importance of being exact or accurate at 85.2/100 — against an all-occupation average of 78.6.

The occupation scores below the national average for lack of control (18.1 vs 24.5), pace and demands (50 vs 56) and emotional demands (33.8 vs 37.9), which moderates the overall ranking.

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

The biggest stress factors for electronics trades workers

  1. 1Precision and monotony

    Importance of Being Exact or Accurate

    85.2/100

    All-occupation average: 78.6

  2. 2Physical environment

    Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable

    76.8/100

    All-occupation average: 52.3

  3. 3Pace and demands

    Duration of Typical Work Week

    72/100

    All-occupation average: 62.1

  4. 4Responsibility burden

    Consequence of Error

    63.8/100

    All-occupation average: 49

  5. 5Physical environment

    Physical Proximity

    63.8/100

    All-occupation average: 61.1

All 22 stress factors for electronics trades workers

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

Emotional demands

33.8 vs 37.9 avg
  • Deal With Physically Aggressive People6.2 vs 14
  • Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People44.5 vs 50.4
  • Frequency of Conflict Situations50.5 vs 49.3

Responsibility burden

58.1 vs 60 avg
  • Responsibility for Outcomes and Results54.5 vs 58.5
  • Responsible for Others' Health and Safety51.2 vs 57.3
  • Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results61.8 vs 70.4
  • Consequence of Error63.8 vs 49
  • Coordinate or Lead Others59.5 vs 64.9

Pace and demands

50 vs 56 avg
  • Time Pressure54 vs 71.6
  • Duration of Typical Work Week72 vs 62.1
  • Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment31.8 vs 23.1
  • Frequency of Decision Making60.8 vs 70.7
  • Level of Competition31.8 vs 52.4

Lack of control

18.1 vs 24.5 avg
  • Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions18.8 vs 23.6
  • Amount of Highly Structured Work17.5 vs 25.3

Precision and monotony

71.2 vs 67.7 avg
  • Importance of Repeating Same Tasks57.2 vs 56.9
  • Importance of Being Exact or Accurate85.2 vs 78.6

Physical environment

41.8 vs 38.2 avg
  • Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable76.8 vs 52.3
  • Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting34.2 vs 24.9
  • Very Hot or Cold Temperatures33.5 vs 32.4
  • Exposed to Disease or Infections0.8 vs 20.2
  • Physical Proximity63.8 vs 61.1

The elevated stress categories for electronics trades workers 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

Electronics Trades Workers: how stressful is the job?

Electronics Trades Workers rank #193 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 45.5/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 39.1% of Australian jobs.

What are the biggest mental health stress factors for electronics trades workers?

The highest-scoring hazards are importance of being exact or accurate (85.2/100), sounds and noise levels are distracting or uncomfortable (76.8/100) and duration of typical work week (72/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in precision and monotony and physical environment.

Which stress factors are lower for electronics trades workers?

Electronics Trades Workers score below the national average for emotional demands (33.8 vs 37.9 average) and responsibility burden (58.1 vs 60 average) and pace and demands (50 vs 56 average) and lack of control (18.1 vs 24.5 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 electronics trades workers. 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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