Quick answer: Insurance Agents are moderately stress-exposed compared with other Australian occupations — ranked #143 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 48/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are precision and monotony and pace and demands.
Insurance Agents 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 demands39.3 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden48.1 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands69 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control25.1 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony81.1 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment25.2 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for insurance agents
Compared with the average Australian occupation, insurance agents score furthest above the norm on precision and monotony (81.1 vs 67.7 average), pace and demands (69 vs 56 average) and emotional demands (39.3 vs 37.9 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is frequency of decision making at 95.2/100 — against an all-occupation average of 70.7.
The occupation scores below the national average for physical environment (25.2 vs 38.2) and responsibility burden (48.1 vs 60), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for insurance agents
- 1Pace and demands
Frequency of Decision Making
95.2/100
All-occupation average: 70.7
- 2Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
92.5/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 3Pace and demands
Duration of Typical Work Week
90.5/100
All-occupation average: 62.1
- 4Pace and demands
Time Pressure
88/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
- 5Responsibility burden
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
85.8/100
All-occupation average: 70.4
All 22 stress factors for insurance agents
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
39.3 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People3.2 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People53.5 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations61.2 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
48.1 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results28.5 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety20.5 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results85.8 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error49.5 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others56.5 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
69 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure88 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week90.5 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment0 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making95.2 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition71.2 vs 52.4
Lack of control
25.1 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions28 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work22.2 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
81.1 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks69.8 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate92.5 vs 78.6
Physical environment
25.2 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable28.5 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting17.2 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures9.8 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections9.5 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity61 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for insurance agents 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.
- Schedule and Hours →The arrangement of working time and its effect on health and recovery.
- Autonomy →The degree of control workers have over how they do their work.
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
Insurance Agents: how stressful is the job?
Insurance Agents rank #143 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 48/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 54.9% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for insurance agents?
The highest-scoring hazards are frequency of decision making (95.2/100), importance of being exact or accurate (92.5/100) and duration of typical work week (90.5/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in emotional demands, pace and demands, lack of control and precision and monotony.
Which stress factors are lower for insurance agents?
Insurance Agents score below the national average for responsibility burden (48.1 vs 60 average) and physical environment (25.2 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 insurance agents. 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.