Quick answer: Hairdressers are less stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #260 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 41.8/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are physical environment.
Hairdressers 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 burden53 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands51 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control12.1 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony65 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment41 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for hairdressers
Compared with the average Australian occupation, hairdressers score furthest above the norm on physical environment (41 vs 38.2 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is physical proximity at 94.8/100 — against an all-occupation average of 61.1.
The occupation scores below the national average for lack of control (12.1 vs 24.5), emotional demands (29 vs 37.9) and responsibility burden (53 vs 60), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for hairdressers
- 1Physical environment
Physical Proximity
94.8/100
All-occupation average: 61.1
- 2Pace and demands
Level of Competition
84.2/100
All-occupation average: 52.4
- 3Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
84.2/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 4Responsibility burden
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
84/100
All-occupation average: 70.4
- 5Pace and demands
Duration of Typical Work Week
70.5/100
All-occupation average: 62.1
All 22 stress factors for hairdressers
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 People17 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People39 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations31 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
53 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results38.2 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety58.2 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results84 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error36 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others48.5 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
51 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure34.8 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week70.5 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment17.2 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making48 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition84.2 vs 52.4
Lack of control
12.1 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions5.2 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work19 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
65 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks45.8 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate84.2 vs 78.6
Physical environment
41 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable38.2 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting12.2 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures0.8 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections58.8 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity94.8 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for hairdressers map to recognised psychosocial work factors under ISO 45003 and Australian WHS legislation. Learn what each one is and how it can be controlled:
- 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
Hairdressers: how stressful is the job?
Hairdressers rank #260 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 41.8/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 18.0% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for hairdressers?
The highest-scoring hazards are physical proximity (94.8/100), level of competition (84.2/100) and importance of being exact or accurate (84.2/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in physical environment.
Which stress factors are lower for hairdressers?
Hairdressers score below the national average for emotional demands (29 vs 37.9 average) and responsibility burden (53 vs 60 average) and pace and demands (51 vs 56 average) and lack of control (12.1 vs 24.5 average) and precision and monotony (65 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 hairdressers. 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.