Quick answer: Urban and Regional Planners are less stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #309 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 35.3/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are lack of control and emotional demands.
Urban and Regional Planners 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 demands38.6 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden46.5 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands46.2 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control26.1 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony36.5 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment17.7 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for urban and regional planners
Compared with the average Australian occupation, urban and regional planners score furthest above the norm on lack of control (26.1 vs 24.5 average) and emotional demands (38.6 vs 37.9 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is duration of typical work week at 73/100 — against an all-occupation average of 62.1.
The occupation scores below the national average for precision and monotony (36.5 vs 67.7), physical environment (17.7 vs 38.2) and responsibility burden (46.5 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 urban and regional planners
- 1Pace and demands
Duration of Typical Work Week
73/100
All-occupation average: 62.1
- 2Responsibility burden
Coordinate or Lead Others
70.8/100
All-occupation average: 64.9
- 3Pace and demands
Time Pressure
63/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
- 4Responsibility burden
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
58/100
All-occupation average: 70.4
- 5Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
57/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
All 22 stress factors for urban and regional planners
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
38.6 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People11.5 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People50 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations54.2 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
46.5 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results53 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety28 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results58 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error23 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others70.8 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
46.2 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure63 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week73 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment0 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making49 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition46 vs 52.4
Lack of control
26.1 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions30.2 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work22 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
36.5 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks16 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate57 vs 78.6
Physical environment
17.7 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable25 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting5 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures11.5 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections2 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity45 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for urban and regional planners 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.
- 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
Urban and Regional Planners: how stressful is the job?
Urban and Regional Planners rank #309 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 35.3/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 2.5% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for urban and regional planners?
The highest-scoring hazards are duration of typical work week (73/100), coordinate or lead others (70.8/100) and time pressure (63/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in emotional demands and lack of control.
Which stress factors are lower for urban and regional planners?
Urban and Regional Planners score below the national average for responsibility burden (46.5 vs 60 average) and pace and demands (46.2 vs 56 average) and precision and monotony (36.5 vs 67.7 average) and physical environment (17.7 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 urban and regional planners. 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.