Quick answer: Welfare, Recreation and Community Arts Workers are notably more stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #88 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 51/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are emotional demands and physical environment.
Welfare, Recreation and Community Arts Workers 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 demands54.8 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden63.6 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands47.5 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control24.9 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony68.6 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment46.5 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for welfare, recreation and community arts workers
Compared with the average Australian occupation, welfare, recreation and community arts workers score furthest above the norm on emotional demands (54.8 vs 37.9 average), physical environment (46.5 vs 38.2 average) and responsibility burden (63.6 vs 60 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is coordinate or lead others at 82.8/100 — against an all-occupation average of 64.9.
The occupation scores below the national average for pace and demands (47.5 vs 56), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for welfare, recreation and community arts workers
- 1Responsibility burden
Coordinate or Lead Others
82.8/100
All-occupation average: 64.9
- 2Pace and demands
Time Pressure
78/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
- 3Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
77/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 4Responsibility burden
Responsible for Others' Health and Safety
71/100
All-occupation average: 57.3
- 5Emotional demands
Frequency of Conflict Situations
69.8/100
All-occupation average: 49.3
All 22 stress factors for welfare, recreation and community arts workers
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
54.8 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People30.2 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People64.2 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations69.8 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
63.6 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results53.5 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety71 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results68 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error42.8 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others82.8 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
47.5 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure78 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week41 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment11.5 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making68.5 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition38.5 vs 52.4
Lack of control
24.9 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions26.5 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work23.2 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
68.6 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks60.2 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate77 vs 78.6
Physical environment
46.5 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable60.5 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting23.2 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures34.5 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections53.2 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity61 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for welfare, recreation and community arts workers 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
Welfare, Recreation and Community Arts Workers: how stressful is the job?
Welfare, Recreation and Community Arts Workers rank #88 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 51/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 72.2% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for welfare, recreation and community arts workers?
The highest-scoring hazards are coordinate or lead others (82.8/100), time pressure (78/100) and importance of being exact or accurate (77/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in emotional demands, responsibility burden, lack of control, precision and monotony and physical environment.
Which stress factors are lower for welfare, recreation and community arts workers?
Welfare, Recreation and Community Arts Workers score below the national average for pace and demands (47.5 vs 56 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 welfare, recreation and community arts workers. 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.