The world of work is changing fast. Technological breakthroughs, environmental shocks, social fragmentation and shifting global power dynamics are converging to redefine what it means to be safe, healthy and supported on the job. Predicting the salient features of the future of work can be a challenging task for occupational health and safety (OHS) practitioners. In this presentation, Dr. Arif Jetha shares findings from a recently completed international horizon scan, led by the Institute for Work & Health in collaboration with OHS experts in Canada and Europe. He highlights seven major changes on the horizon and discusses how they may impact the field of OHS over the next 15 years.
Work and health 2040: Anticipating changes impacting the futures of occupational health and safety
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Online
Arif Jetha
Institute for Work & Health
About presenter(s)
Dr. Arif Jetha is associate scientific director and scientist at the Institute for Work & Health. He is also an associate professor (status-only) at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Jetha’s program of research aims at understanding how sociopolitical, technological, environmental and economic changes that characterize the future of work affect the health and employment participation of vulnerable workers including young workers and persons living with disabilities. He is specifically interested in the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) on the health, safety and well-being of workers. In 2025, he became the director and principal investigator of the Partnership on AI and the Quality of work (PAIQ), a seven-year partnership project to study AI, job quality and worker wellbeing.
About IWH Speaker Series
The IWH Speaker Series brings you the latest findings from work and health researchers from the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) and beyond. For those unable to attend, the recorded webinar of most presentations in the IWH Speaker Series are made available on its web page within a week of the event.