Dr. Arif Jetha
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 earned his PhD in behavioural sciences and public health at the University of Toronto, and an MSc in health community and development from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He also held post-doctoral fellowships at the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety and the Institute for Work & 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.
To pursue his research program, Jetha takes a systems perspective and uses a mixed-methods research approach. He collaborates closely with diverse research partners to produce findings that can inform policy and practice.
“The world of work is changing at a rapid rate. Studying the future of work allows me to understand the emerging challenges facing workers and create an evidence base that can be used to inform the design of policies and programs that are resilient to change and protect the most vulnerable.”
— Dr. Arif Jetha
Projects
- Future-proofing young Canadians with disabilities for the changing labour market. Funded by New Frontiers in Research Fund (a Tri-Agency Program—CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC). Ongoing. (PI on the project)
- Inclusive Design for Employment Access (IDEA): A social innovation lab to increase demand-side capacity to employ persons with disabilities in Canada. Funded by New Frontiers in Research Fund (a Tri-Agency Program—CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC). Ongoing.
- Inclusive Design for Employment Access (IDEA): Transition to work and career development. Funded by MLITSD, New Frontiers in Research Fund (a Tri-Council initiative among CIHR, SSHRC and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council) . Ongoing. (PI on the project)
- Intelligent machines and human worker inequities: examining the implications of AI in the workplace. Funded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC); Future Skills Centre. Ongoing. (PI on the project)
- Job quality and wellbeing in Canada: generating insights on the new world of work. Funded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Ongoing.
Publications
- Woticky G, Jetha A, Tompa E, Gignac MA. Disclosure decisions of workers living with a chronic health condition causing disability at work: are decisions to disclose to co-workers and supervisors different?. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2024 epub ahead of print. doi:10.1007/s10926-024-10235-6.
- Gignac MA, Bowring J, Navaratnerajah L, Saunders R, Jetha A, Thompson A, Shaw WS, Franche RL, Van Eerd D, Irvin E, Tompa E, MacDermid JC, Smith PM. The Job Demands and Accommodation Planning Tool (JDAPT): a nine-month evaluation of use, changes in self-efficacy, presenteeism, and absenteeism in workers with chronic and episodic disabilities. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2024 epub ahead of print. doi:10.1007/s10926-024-10231-w.
- Jetha A. Machine learning and the labour market: A portrait of occupational and worker inequities in Canada. Institute for Work & Health; 2024.
- Dobson KG , Gignac MA, Tucker L, Jetha A. Double trouble! Do workplace supports mitigate lost productivity for young workers with both severe rheumatic diseases and depressive symptoms?. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2024 epub ahead of print. doi:10.1007/s10926-024-10217-8.
- Jetha A. Supporting young persons with disabilities in the future of work. Institute for Work & Health; 2024.
Speaker Series presentations
- Surveying the landscape for AI use in occupational health and safety in Ontario and British Columbia. IWH Speaker Series. March 25, 2025.
- Three scenarios of a future working world: Using strategic foresight to imagine and respond to a changing world of work for young adults living with a disability in Canada. IWH Speaker Series. October 17, 2023.
- Racial and ethnic inequities in the return-to-work of workers following an injury or illness: Findings from a systematic review. IWH Speaker Series. January 17, 2023.
- What the future of work looks like to young people with disabilities. IWH Speaker Series. December 14, 2021.
- Fragmentation in the future of work: Exploring the impact of the changing nature of work on vulnerable workers. IWH Speaker Series. February 23, 2021.
Interviews and articles
- Top ranked strategies to support young persons with disabilities at work . Rehab & Community Care Medicine : BCS Communications Ltd.. October 11, 2024. Available from: http://publications.rehabmagazine.ca/publication/?i=832566&view=issueBrowser
- IWH researchers create roadmap for AI research that prioritizes worker health. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 113, Summer 2023.
- AI is reshaping the workplace – but what does it mean for the health and well-being of workers?. Canadian Manufacturing. August 29, 2023. Available from: https://www.canadianmanufacturing.com/features/ai-is-reshaping-the-workplace-but-what-does-it-mean-for-the-health-and-well-being-of-workers/
- AI is reshaping the workplace – but what does it mean for the health and well-being of workers?. The Conversation Canada. August 28, 2023. Available from: https://theconversation.com/ai-is-reshaping-the-workplace-but-what-does-it-mean-for-the-health-and-well-being-of-workers-209592
- Three future of work scenarios to help develop inclusion strategies for young people with disabilities. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 112, Spring 2023.