Quick answer: Telecommunications Engineering Professionals are less stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #236 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 43.8/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are pace and demands.
Telecommunications Engineering Professionals 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 demands31.8 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden58.5 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands56.1 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control24.4 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony62 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment30 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for telecommunications engineering professionals
Compared with the average Australian occupation, telecommunications engineering professionals score furthest above the norm on pace and demands (56.1 vs 56 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is importance of being exact or accurate at 77.5/100 — against an all-occupation average of 78.6.
The occupation scores below the national average for physical environment (30 vs 38.2), emotional demands (31.8 vs 37.9) and precision and monotony (62 vs 67.7), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for telecommunications engineering professionals
- 1Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
77.5/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 2Pace and demands
Time Pressure
76.2/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
- 3Pace and demands
Duration of Typical Work Week
76/100
All-occupation average: 62.1
- 4Responsibility burden
Coordinate or Lead Others
67.8/100
All-occupation average: 64.9
- 5Responsibility burden
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
63/100
All-occupation average: 70.4
All 22 stress factors for telecommunications engineering professionals
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
31.8 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People9.5 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People39.2 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations46.5 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
58.5 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results56 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety56 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results63 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error50 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others67.8 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
56.1 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure76.2 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week76 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment8.2 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making58.2 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition62 vs 52.4
Lack of control
24.4 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions22.5 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work26.2 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
62 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks46.5 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate77.5 vs 78.6
Physical environment
30 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable40.5 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting23.8 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures26.2 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections8.2 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity51.2 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for telecommunications engineering professionals map to recognised psychosocial work factors under ISO 45003 and Australian WHS legislation. Learn what each one is and how it can be controlled:
- 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.
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
Telecommunications Engineering Professionals: how stressful is the job?
Telecommunications Engineering Professionals rank #236 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 43.8/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 25.6% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for telecommunications engineering professionals?
The highest-scoring hazards are importance of being exact or accurate (77.5/100), time pressure (76.2/100) and duration of typical work week (76/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in pace and demands.
Which stress factors are lower for telecommunications engineering professionals?
Telecommunications Engineering Professionals score below the national average for emotional demands (31.8 vs 37.9 average) and responsibility burden (58.5 vs 60 average) and lack of control (24.4 vs 24.5 average) and precision and monotony (62 vs 67.7 average) and physical environment (30 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 telecommunications engineering professionals. 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.