Quick answer: ICT Support Technicians are less stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #272 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 41.1/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are precision and monotony.
ICT Support 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 demands27 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden55.8 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands50.2 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control16.1 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony73 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment24.3 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for ict support technicians
Compared with the average Australian occupation, ict support technicians score furthest above the norm on precision and monotony (73 vs 67.7 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is importance of being exact or accurate at 86.8/100 — against an all-occupation average of 78.6.
The occupation scores below the national average for physical environment (24.3 vs 38.2), emotional demands (27 vs 37.9) and lack of control (16.1 vs 24.5), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for ict support technicians
- 1Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
86.8/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 2Pace and demands
Duration of Typical Work Week
70/100
All-occupation average: 62.1
- 3Responsibility burden
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
68.8/100
All-occupation average: 70.4
- 4Pace and demands
Frequency of Decision Making
67.8/100
All-occupation average: 70.7
- 5Pace and demands
Time Pressure
66.5/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
All 22 stress factors for ict support technicians
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
27 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People1.8 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People35 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations44.2 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
55.8 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results55 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety44.8 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results68.8 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error57.8 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others52.5 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
50.2 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure66.5 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week70 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment4.5 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making67.8 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition42.5 vs 52.4
Lack of control
16.1 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions16.5 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work15.8 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
73 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks59.2 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate86.8 vs 78.6
Physical environment
24.3 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable40.8 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting7.5 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures2 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections7.5 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity63.8 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for ict support 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:
- Learning and Stimulation →Whether work offers enough challenge, variety, and opportunity for growth.
- Work Monitoring →How worker performance is measured, observed, and reported.
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
ICT Support Technicians: how stressful is the job?
ICT Support Technicians rank #272 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 41.1/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 14.2% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for ict support technicians?
The highest-scoring hazards are importance of being exact or accurate (86.8/100), duration of typical work week (70/100) and impact of decisions on co-workers or company results (68.8/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in precision and monotony.
Which stress factors are lower for ict support technicians?
ICT Support Technicians score below the national average for emotional demands (27 vs 37.9 average) and responsibility burden (55.8 vs 60 average) and pace and demands (50.2 vs 56 average) and lack of control (16.1 vs 24.5 average) and physical environment (24.3 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 ict support 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.