Skip to main content
Occupational Stress Research

Electronics Engineers: how stressful is the job?

Ranked #314 of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 31.1/100. The biggest exposure is precision and monotony.

Composite stress score

31.1/100

National average: 47.4

Rank (most stressful)

#314 of 317

Australian ANZSCO occupations

More stress-exposed than

0.9% of occupations

By composite stress score

Quick answer: Electronics Engineers are less stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #314 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 31.1/100 against a national average of 47.4.

Electronics Engineers 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 demands14.5 vs 37.9 avg
Responsibility burden44 vs 60 avg
Pace and demands38.9 vs 56 avg
Lack of control16.2 vs 24.5 avg
Precision and monotony58.2 vs 67.7 avg
Physical environment14.9 vs 38.2 avg

Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.

What drives the score for electronics engineers

The occupation scores below the national average for emotional demands (14.5 vs 37.9), physical environment (14.9 vs 38.2) and pace and demands (38.9 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 electronics engineers

  1. 1Precision and monotony

    Importance of Being Exact or Accurate

    78.8/100

    All-occupation average: 78.6

  2. 2Responsibility burden

    Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results

    58/100

    All-occupation average: 70.4

  3. 3Pace and demands

    Duration of Typical Work Week

    57.5/100

    All-occupation average: 62.1

  4. 4Pace and demands

    Time Pressure

    51.5/100

    All-occupation average: 71.6

  5. 5Physical environment

    Physical Proximity

    51/100

    All-occupation average: 61.1

All 22 stress factors for electronics engineers

The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.

Emotional demands

14.5 vs 37.9 avg
  • Deal With Physically Aggressive People1.5 vs 14
  • Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People16.5 vs 50.4
  • Frequency of Conflict Situations25.5 vs 49.3

Responsibility burden

44 vs 60 avg
  • Responsibility for Outcomes and Results38 vs 58.5
  • Responsible for Others' Health and Safety33.5 vs 57.3
  • Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results58 vs 70.4
  • Consequence of Error41.8 vs 49
  • Coordinate or Lead Others48.5 vs 64.9

Pace and demands

38.9 vs 56 avg
  • Time Pressure51.5 vs 71.6
  • Duration of Typical Work Week57.5 vs 62.1
  • Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment10.2 vs 23.1
  • Frequency of Decision Making37 vs 70.7
  • Level of Competition38.2 vs 52.4

Lack of control

16.2 vs 24.5 avg
  • Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions11.2 vs 23.6
  • Amount of Highly Structured Work21.2 vs 25.3

Precision and monotony

58.2 vs 67.7 avg
  • Importance of Repeating Same Tasks37.8 vs 56.9
  • Importance of Being Exact or Accurate78.8 vs 78.6

Physical environment

14.9 vs 38.2 avg
  • Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable21 vs 52.3
  • Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting1 vs 24.9
  • Very Hot or Cold Temperatures1.8 vs 32.4
  • Exposed to Disease or Infections0 vs 20.2
  • Physical Proximity51 vs 61.1

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

Electronics Engineers: how stressful is the job?

Electronics Engineers rank #314 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 31.1/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 0.9% of Australian jobs.

What are the biggest mental health stress factors for electronics engineers?

The highest-scoring hazards are importance of being exact or accurate (78.8/100), impact of decisions on co-workers or company results (58/100) and duration of typical work week (57.5/100).

Which stress factors are lower for electronics engineers?

Electronics Engineers score below the national average for emotional demands (14.5 vs 37.9 average) and responsibility burden (44 vs 60 average) and pace and demands (38.9 vs 56 average) and lack of control (16.2 vs 24.5 average) and precision and monotony (58.2 vs 67.7 average) and physical environment (14.9 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 electronics engineers. 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.

Clearhead Psychosocial Risk Pulse Tool

Know your industry's risks. Then measure your own.

Population-level data shows where the hazards concentrate — but psychosocial risk legislation requires you to identify and manage the risks in your own workforce. Clearhead's Psychosocial Risk Pulse gives you that evidence, quarterly.

Book a demo