1. Research priorities

Changing nature of work and future of work

Diverse forces are changing the nature of work, with the potential to both positively and negatively affect workers. For example, due to advances in digital technology, the shift to remote and hybrid jobs and the continued rise of gig and platform-based employment, changes are unfolding in what people do for work, and where and how they do it. Our research seeks to understand the impact of these changes on workers, and the workplace and system-level policies and practices to ensure the health, safety and inclusion of all workers, now and in the future.

Latest findings

A graphic of two women surrounded by superimposed graphical data and screens. One wears virtual reality goggles and the other holds a laptop computer.

Top-ranked strategies to support young persons with disabilities in the future of work

IWH researchers asked persons with disabilities, practitioners and subject matter experts about strategies for disability inclusion in the face of six future of work challenges. A new report details their top-ranked strategies to foster inclusion in the face of each challenge.
Two workers wearing masks look at a tablet together

What can work-related COVID-19 cases tell us about how to prepare for the next pandemic?

A new study by IWH combined data sources to estimate work-related COVID-19 infection rates, using a method that took into account major shifts in where people worked.
A young man working on a laptop as a female instructor guides him

How job training can better meet the needs of persons with disabilities

Job training initiatives are an important gateway to work opportunities, especially for persons living with disabilities who face persistent barriers to employment. A pair of IWH studies found three key areas where these skilling programs should focus.

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OHS Vulnerability Measure

Find the workers you need to protect with this measure of vulnerability to OHS risks at work.

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IWH researchers create roadmap for AI research that prioritizes worker health

Using insights from a group of experts brought together in the fall of 2022, an IWH team has developed a four-part research agenda. It's designed to guide AI research and spark conversations to ensure worker health and safety are at the forefront of AI policy and adoption in the workplace.

Robots lift boxes from a conveyor belt in a factory without human workers

Ongoing projects

Job quality and wellbeing in Canada: generating insights on the new world of work

Amid shifting labour market conditions in Canada, including the rise of precarious employment and of low quality jobs, this project will describe the current landscape of job quality in Canada and examine the relationship between job quality and wellbeing.

Creating safe workplaces for newcomers

An IWH qualitative study is looking at feasible and effective approaches for helping employers create safe workplaces for newcomers.

Artificial intelligence and occupational injury and illness in Ontario: implications for prevention and recovery

This study—one of the first of its kind to better understand the implications of AI for Ontario’s health and safety system—will build the evidence base on the scope and use of AI applications in OHS and RTW.

Intelligent machines and human worker inequities: examining the implications of AI in the workplace

In this first-of-its-kind study, an iWH team is looking at AI and workplace inequities.

What are the long-term health and labour market outcomes of workers who experienced work-related COVID-19 transmission?

This project fills an important knowledge gap by determining the health and return-to-work outcomes of Canadians who acquired COVID-19 at work.

Future-focused job accommodation practices for the school-to-work transition

Difficulties faced by young people during the school-to-work transition can have a lasting effect and contribute to adverse labour market outcomes that extend across one's working life. This studies explores the emerging barriers that young people with disabilities could face in accessing needed job accommodations within the changing world of work.

Transitioning to the future of work: an intersectional study of vulnerable youth and young adults

This project applies an intersectional theoretical framework to explore the impact of the future of work on the transitional work experiences of vulnerable groups of young people—including women, visible minorities, immigrants, LGBTQ2+, and those with low socioeconomic status—and to uncover the overlapping structures that contribute to labour market inequities for different groups.

Future-proofing young Canadians with disabilities for the changing labour market

This study systematically examines the future of work as it relates to young people with disabilities, with the aim of anticipating the work and labour market changes that will affect their inclusion and success in the future of work.

Assessing the psychosocial work environment in British Columbia to inform prevention activities

WorkSafeBC is in the initial stages of developing and implementing an Enterprise Mental Health Strategy. As part of its development and evaluation efforts, this project will fill knowledge gaps in the understanding of the psychosocial work environment in British Columbia, as well as workers' awareness of its impact as a workplace hazard.

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