Quick answer: Agricultural Technicians are notably more stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #97 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 50.7/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are precision and monotony and physical environment.
Agricultural Technicians 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 demands29 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden66.2 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands53.8 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control26.5 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony81.5 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment47.3 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for agricultural technicians
Compared with the average Australian occupation, agricultural technicians score furthest above the norm on precision and monotony (81.5 vs 67.7 average), physical environment (47.3 vs 38.2 average) and responsibility burden (66.2 vs 60 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is importance of being exact or accurate at 88.5/100 — against an all-occupation average of 78.6.
The occupation scores below the national average for emotional demands (29 vs 37.9) and pace and demands (53.8 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 agricultural technicians
- 1Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
88.5/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 2Precision and monotony
Importance of Repeating Same Tasks
74.5/100
All-occupation average: 56.9
- 3Responsibility burden
Coordinate or Lead Others
72/100
All-occupation average: 64.9
- 4Responsibility burden
Responsible for Others' Health and Safety
70.8/100
All-occupation average: 57.3
- 5Pace and demands
Duration of Typical Work Week
68.5/100
All-occupation average: 62.1
All 22 stress factors for agricultural technicians
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
29 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People4.8 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People38.8 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations43.5 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
66.2 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results62.2 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety70.8 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results61.5 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error64.2 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others72 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
53.8 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure65.8 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week68.5 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment34.8 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making62.8 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition37.2 vs 52.4
Lack of control
26.5 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions22.8 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work30.2 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
81.5 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks74.5 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate88.5 vs 78.6
Physical environment
47.3 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable57.8 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting50.2 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures58 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections14.5 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity56 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for agricultural technicians map to recognised psychosocial work factors under ISO 45003 and Australian WHS legislation. Learn what each one is and how it can be controlled:
- 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.
- 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
Agricultural Technicians: how stressful is the job?
Agricultural Technicians rank #97 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 50.7/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 69.4% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for agricultural technicians?
The highest-scoring hazards are importance of being exact or accurate (88.5/100), importance of repeating same tasks (74.5/100) and coordinate or lead others (72/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in responsibility burden, lack of control, precision and monotony and physical environment.
Which stress factors are lower for agricultural technicians?
Agricultural Technicians score below the national average for emotional demands (29 vs 37.9 average) and pace and demands (53.8 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 agricultural technicians. 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.