Quick answer: Child Carers are less stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #247 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 42.8/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are emotional demands and physical environment.
Child Carers 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 demands46.4 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden60.3 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands39.6 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control23.8 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony45.9 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment40.6 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for child carers
Compared with the average Australian occupation, child carers score furthest above the norm on emotional demands (46.4 vs 37.9 average), physical environment (40.6 vs 38.2 average) and responsibility burden (60.3 vs 60 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is physical proximity at 81.8/100 — against an all-occupation average of 61.1.
The occupation scores below the national average for precision and monotony (45.9 vs 67.7), pace and demands (39.6 vs 56) and lack of control (23.8 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 child carers
- 1Physical environment
Physical Proximity
81.8/100
All-occupation average: 61.1
- 2Responsibility burden
Responsible for Others' Health and Safety
73.8/100
All-occupation average: 57.3
- 3Responsibility burden
Coordinate or Lead Others
65.2/100
All-occupation average: 64.9
- 4Pace and demands
Time Pressure
62.2/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
- 5Responsibility burden
Responsibility for Outcomes and Results
62/100
All-occupation average: 58.5
All 22 stress factors for child carers
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
46.4 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People30.5 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People48.2 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations60.5 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
60.3 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results62 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety73.8 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results58.2 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error42.2 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others65.2 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
39.6 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure62.2 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week37 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment4.5 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making58 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition36.5 vs 52.4
Lack of control
23.8 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions24.2 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work23.2 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
45.9 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks33.2 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate58.5 vs 78.6
Physical environment
40.6 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable38.2 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting18.5 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures20.2 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections44.5 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity81.8 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for child carers 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.
- Role Clarity →Whether workers clearly understand what is expected of them.
- Leadership →The quality and consistency of management behaviour at all levels.
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
Child Carers: how stressful is the job?
Child Carers rank #247 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 42.8/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 22.1% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for child carers?
The highest-scoring hazards are physical proximity (81.8/100), responsible for others' health and safety (73.8/100) and coordinate or lead others (65.2/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in emotional demands, responsibility burden and physical environment.
Which stress factors are lower for child carers?
Child Carers score below the national average for pace and demands (39.6 vs 56 average) and lack of control (23.8 vs 24.5 average) and precision and monotony (45.9 vs 67.7 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 child carers. 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.