Quick answer: Payroll Clerks are less stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #233 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 43.9/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are precision and monotony and lack of control.
Payroll Clerks 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 demands28.3 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden37.6 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands50.8 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control35.9 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony93.5 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment17.1 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for payroll clerks
Compared with the average Australian occupation, payroll clerks score furthest above the norm on precision and monotony (93.5 vs 67.7 average) and lack of control (35.9 vs 24.5 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is importance of being exact or accurate at 97.8/100 — against an all-occupation average of 78.6.
The occupation scores below the national average for responsibility burden (37.6 vs 60), physical environment (17.1 vs 38.2) and emotional demands (28.3 vs 37.9), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for payroll clerks
- 1Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
97.8/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 2Precision and monotony
Importance of Repeating Same Tasks
89.2/100
All-occupation average: 56.9
- 3Pace and demands
Time Pressure
81.2/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
- 4Responsibility burden
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
72/100
All-occupation average: 70.4
- 5Pace and demands
Frequency of Decision Making
71.5/100
All-occupation average: 70.7
All 22 stress factors for payroll clerks
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
28.3 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People8 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People43.2 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations33.8 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
37.6 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results30.8 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety20.2 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results72 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error31.2 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others34 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
50.8 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure81.2 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week57.5 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment8 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making71.5 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition35.5 vs 52.4
Lack of control
35.9 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions37.8 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work34 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
93.5 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks89.2 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate97.8 vs 78.6
Physical environment
17.1 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable33.2 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting3 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures0.8 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections5.8 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity42.5 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for payroll clerks 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.
- Learning and Stimulation →Whether work offers enough challenge, variety, and opportunity for growth.
- Work Monitoring →How worker performance is measured, observed, and reported.
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
Payroll Clerks: how stressful is the job?
Payroll Clerks rank #233 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 43.9/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 26.5% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for payroll clerks?
The highest-scoring hazards are importance of being exact or accurate (97.8/100), importance of repeating same tasks (89.2/100) and time pressure (81.2/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in lack of control and precision and monotony.
Which stress factors are lower for payroll clerks?
Payroll Clerks score below the national average for emotional demands (28.3 vs 37.9 average) and responsibility burden (37.6 vs 60 average) and pace and demands (50.8 vs 56 average) and physical environment (17.1 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 payroll clerks. 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.