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. He is specifically interested in the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) on the health, safety and well-being of workers. Also, Jetha leads research on how changing working conditions can shape the labour market experiences of young workers and persons living with disabilities at the early career phase and across the life course.
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. Jetha is currently the recipient of the Stars Career Development Salary Award from the Arthritis Society.
“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-focused job accommodation practices for the school-to-work transition. Funded by Accessibility Standards Canada (Government of Canada). Ongoing. (PI on the project)
- 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)
Publications
- Jetha A, Gignac MA, Ibrahim S, Martin Ginis KA. Disability and sex/gender intersections in unmet workplace support needs: findings from a large Canadian survey of workers. American Journal of Industrial Medicine. 2021;64(2):149-161. doi:10.1002/ajim.23203.
- Gignac MA, Jetha A, Martin Ginis KA, Ibrahim S. Does it matter what your reasons are when deciding to disclose (or not disclose) a disability at work? The association of workers' approach and avoidance goals with perceived positive and negative workplace outcomes. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2021;31(3):638-651. doi:10.1007/s10926-020-09956-1.
- Jetha A, Le Pouésard M, Mustard C, Backman C, Gignac MA. Getting the message right: evidence-based insights to improve organizational return-to-work communication practices. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2021;31(3):652-663. doi:10.1007/s10926-021-09961-y.
- Jetha A, Theis KA, Boring MA, Murphy LB, Guglielmo D. Depressive symptoms and the arthritis‐employment interface. A population‐level study. Arthritis Care and Research. 2021;73(1):65-77. doi:10.1002/acr.24381 .
- Van Eerd D, Bowring J, Jetha A, Breslin FC, Gignac MA. Online resources supporting workers with chronic episodic disabilities: an environmental scan. International Journal of Workplace Health Management. 2021;14(2):129-148. doi:10.1108/IJWHM-08-2020-0137.
Speaker Series presentations
- 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.
- Promoting labour market transitions for young adults with chronic disabling conditions: a systematic review. IWH Speaker Series. November 27, 2018.
Interviews and articles
- Addressing communication issues faced by supervisors, case managers key to well-run RTW process. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 98, Fall 2019.
- Employers miss out on talent by overlooking workers living with disabilities. The Conversation. July 25, 2019. Available from: https://theconversation.com/employers-miss-out-on-talent-by-overlooking-workers-living-with-disabilities-119626
- Tailored support effective for young workers with disabilities. Canadian Occupational Safety. February 25, 2019. Available from: https://www.cos-mag.com/safety-leadership-culture/39408-tailored-support-effective-for-young-workers-with-disabilities/
- Supported job placements help young adults with disabilities find work: review. At Work: Institute for Work & Health; No. 95, Winter 2019.
- For millennials, employment is a public health challenge. The Conversation. September 6, 2018. Available from: https://theconversation.com/for-millennials-employment-is-a-public-health-challenge-102028