Quick answer: Human Resource Clerks are moderately stress-exposed compared with other Australian occupations — ranked #129 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 49/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are precision and monotony and emotional demands.
Human Resource Clerks 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 demands51.7 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden54.6 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands53.4 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control22.5 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony88.5 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment23.1 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for human resource clerks
Compared with the average Australian occupation, human resource clerks score furthest above the norm on precision and monotony (88.5 vs 67.7 average) and emotional demands (51.7 vs 37.9 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is importance of being exact or accurate at 93/100 — against an all-occupation average of 78.6.
The occupation scores below the national average for physical environment (23.1 vs 38.2), responsibility burden (54.6 vs 60) and pace and demands (53.4 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 human resource clerks
- 1Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
93/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 2Precision and monotony
Importance of Repeating Same Tasks
84/100
All-occupation average: 56.9
- 3Pace and demands
Time Pressure
81.8/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
- 4Pace and demands
Duration of Typical Work Week
74/100
All-occupation average: 62.1
- 5Responsibility burden
Coordinate or Lead Others
72.2/100
All-occupation average: 64.9
All 22 stress factors for human resource clerks
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
51.7 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People23.5 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People62.5 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations69 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
54.6 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results53 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety47.8 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results68.2 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error31.8 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others72.2 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
53.4 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure81.8 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week74 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment3.2 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making60.2 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition47.8 vs 52.4
Lack of control
22.5 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions25.5 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work19.5 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
88.5 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks84 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate93 vs 78.6
Physical environment
23.1 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable32.2 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting11.2 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures5.5 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections13.5 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity53.2 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for human resource clerks 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.
- 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
Human Resource Clerks: how stressful is the job?
Human Resource Clerks rank #129 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 49/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 59.3% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for human resource clerks?
The highest-scoring hazards are importance of being exact or accurate (93/100), importance of repeating same tasks (84/100) and time pressure (81.8/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in emotional demands and precision and monotony.
Which stress factors are lower for human resource clerks?
Human Resource Clerks score below the national average for responsibility burden (54.6 vs 60 average) and pace and demands (53.4 vs 56 average) and lack of control (22.5 vs 24.5 average) and physical environment (23.1 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 human resource clerks. 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.