Quick answer: Personal Assistants are less stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #292 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 39.1/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are precision and monotony.
Personal Assistants 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 demands30.5 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden45.4 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands45.3 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control13.2 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony79.1 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment21.2 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for personal assistants
Compared with the average Australian occupation, personal assistants score furthest above the norm on precision and monotony (79.1 vs 67.7 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is importance of being exact or accurate at 87.5/100 — against an all-occupation average of 78.6.
The occupation scores below the national average for physical environment (21.2 vs 38.2), responsibility burden (45.4 vs 60) and lack of control (13.2 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 personal assistants
- 1Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
87.5/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 2Responsibility burden
Coordinate or Lead Others
80.8/100
All-occupation average: 64.9
- 3Pace and demands
Time Pressure
71.5/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
- 4Precision and monotony
Importance of Repeating Same Tasks
70.8/100
All-occupation average: 56.9
- 5Pace and demands
Duration of Typical Work Week
60/100
All-occupation average: 62.1
All 22 stress factors for personal assistants
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
30.5 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People5.8 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People38.5 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations47.2 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
45.4 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results33 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety27.8 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results58.8 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error26.8 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others80.8 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
45.3 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure71.5 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week60 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment3.2 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making56.5 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition35.2 vs 52.4
Lack of control
13.2 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions18.5 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work8 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
79.1 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks70.8 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate87.5 vs 78.6
Physical environment
21.2 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable42 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting9.8 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures7.5 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections8 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity38.8 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for personal assistants map to recognised psychosocial work factors under ISO 45003 and Australian WHS legislation. Learn what each one is and how it can be controlled:
- 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
Personal Assistants: how stressful is the job?
Personal Assistants rank #292 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 39.1/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 7.9% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for personal assistants?
The highest-scoring hazards are importance of being exact or accurate (87.5/100), coordinate or lead others (80.8/100) and time pressure (71.5/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in precision and monotony.
Which stress factors are lower for personal assistants?
Personal Assistants score below the national average for emotional demands (30.5 vs 37.9 average) and responsibility burden (45.4 vs 60 average) and pace and demands (45.3 vs 56 average) and lack of control (13.2 vs 24.5 average) and physical environment (21.2 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 personal assistants. 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.