Quick answer: Actors, Dancers and Other Entertainers are moderately stress-exposed compared with other Australian occupations — ranked #188 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 45.7/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are lack of control and physical environment.
Actors, Dancers and Other Entertainers 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 demands32.1 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden46.7 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands50.1 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control45.9 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony59.5 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment39.8 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for actors, dancers and other entertainers
Compared with the average Australian occupation, actors, dancers and other entertainers score furthest above the norm on lack of control (45.9 vs 24.5 average) and physical environment (39.8 vs 38.2 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is physical proximity at 95/100 — against an all-occupation average of 61.1.
The occupation scores below the national average for responsibility burden (46.7 vs 60), precision and monotony (59.5 vs 67.7) and pace and demands (50.1 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 actors, dancers and other entertainers
- 1Physical environment
Physical Proximity
95/100
All-occupation average: 61.1
- 2Pace and demands
Time Pressure
89.8/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
- 3Pace and demands
Level of Competition
81/100
All-occupation average: 52.4
- 4Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
79.2/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 5Pace and demands
Frequency of Decision Making
65.5/100
All-occupation average: 70.7
All 22 stress factors for actors, dancers and other entertainers
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
32.1 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People12 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People41.8 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations42.5 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
46.7 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results49.8 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety48.2 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results57.2 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error24.2 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others54 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
50.1 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure89.8 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week9 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment5.5 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making65.5 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition81 vs 52.4
Lack of control
45.9 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions38.8 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work53 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
59.5 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks39.8 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate79.2 vs 78.6
Physical environment
39.8 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable30.8 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting56.2 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures12.5 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections4.5 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity95 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for actors, dancers and other entertainers 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
Actors, Dancers and Other Entertainers: how stressful is the job?
Actors, Dancers and Other Entertainers rank #188 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 45.7/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 40.7% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for actors, dancers and other entertainers?
The highest-scoring hazards are physical proximity (95/100), time pressure (89.8/100) and level of competition (81/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in lack of control and physical environment.
Which stress factors are lower for actors, dancers and other entertainers?
Actors, Dancers and Other Entertainers score below the national average for emotional demands (32.1 vs 37.9 average) and responsibility burden (46.7 vs 60 average) and pace and demands (50.1 vs 56 average) and precision and monotony (59.5 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 actors, dancers and other entertainers. 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.