1. Selected topics

COVID-19

COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. In short order, the world of work changed dramatically in Canada. Non-essential businesses were locked down. Some workers lost their jobs; others were sent home to work. Despite protections, workers in sectors ranging from health care to transportation to food production and retail faced risk of infection, illness and even death. IWH research examines the impact of the pandemic on workers and workplaces, as well as the lessons for work and health policy-makers to prepare for the next pandemic.

Featured

A man sits at a desk on a video call in his apartment's living room.
Research Highlights

Mental health of Canadians who work from home no better or worse than those working outside the home

Canadian adults who work from home report the same levels of mental health, life satisfaction and stress as those who work on-site at a workplace, or at no fixed location (on the road). That’s according to a study of survey data from almost 25,000 Canadians in 2022.
Published: October 8, 2025
Two workers wearing masks look at a tablet together
At Work article

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.
Published: February 6, 2024
Illustration of bar graphs, line graphs and a coronavirus
At Work article

What research can do: How IWH research is responding to COVID-19

COVID-19 affects the work and health of people in Canada and around the world in vastly different ways. Research on the experiences of workers, and the effects of the pandemic on their health, is essential. Here's how IWH researchers are responding.
Published: May 2020
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IWH in the media

COVID-19: One more reason to take mental health seriously

Many who work in the construction industry have direct experience of how important it is to support and understand mental health. Fortunately, the industry has recognized this problem and is working on solutions, writes Milwaukee consultant Bruce Morton in a column that cites Institute for Work & Health research on levels of depression following a work injury.
Published: The Daily Reporter, April 2020