Quick answer: Nurserypersons are less stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #267 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 41.3/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are lack of control and physical environment.
Nurserypersons 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 demands22.6 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden45.5 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands52 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control45.8 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony43.8 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment38.4 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for nurserypersons
Compared with the average Australian occupation, nurserypersons score furthest above the norm on lack of control (45.8 vs 24.5 average) and physical environment (38.4 vs 38.2 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is duration of typical work week at 71.5/100 — against an all-occupation average of 62.1.
The occupation scores below the national average for precision and monotony (43.8 vs 67.7), emotional demands (22.6 vs 37.9) and responsibility burden (45.5 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 nurserypersons
- 1Pace and demands
Duration of Typical Work Week
71.5/100
All-occupation average: 62.1
- 2Physical environment
Very Hot or Cold Temperatures
69.2/100
All-occupation average: 32.4
- 3Pace and demands
Time Pressure
68.5/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
- 4Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
56.8/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 5Physical environment
Physical Proximity
50.8/100
All-occupation average: 61.1
All 22 stress factors for nurserypersons
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
22.6 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People8.5 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People38.2 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations21 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
45.5 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results46 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety50.5 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results46.2 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error39.8 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others45 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
52 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure68.5 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week71.5 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment45.2 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making35.2 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition39.8 vs 52.4
Lack of control
45.8 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions49 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work42.5 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
43.8 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks30.8 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate56.8 vs 78.6
Physical environment
38.4 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable35 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting29.5 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures69.2 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections7.2 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity50.8 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for nurserypersons map to recognised psychosocial work factors under ISO 45003 and Australian WHS legislation. Learn what each one is and how it can be controlled:
- Autonomy →The degree of control workers have over how they do their work.
- Physical Environment →How the physical conditions of work affect psychological wellbeing.
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
Nurserypersons: how stressful is the job?
Nurserypersons rank #267 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 41.3/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 15.8% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for nurserypersons?
The highest-scoring hazards are duration of typical work week (71.5/100), very hot or cold temperatures (69.2/100) and time pressure (68.5/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in lack of control and physical environment.
Which stress factors are lower for nurserypersons?
Nurserypersons score below the national average for emotional demands (22.6 vs 37.9 average) and responsibility burden (45.5 vs 60 average) and pace and demands (52 vs 56 average) and precision and monotony (43.8 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 nurserypersons. 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.