Future of work

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming workplaces across Canada, enhancing productivity and efficiency in countless ways. AI also has the potential to transform occupational health and safety practice. Despite its promise, however, we still know very little about how organizations are using AI to protect worker health and what factors influence their decision to adopt these technologies. In this presentation, Dr. Arif Jetha dives into findings from a recent survey of over 800 occupational health and safety professionals in Ontario and British Columbia. He outlines how AI could create safer workplaces and support worker health, sparking a discussion on both the risks and opportunities of AI in occupational health and safety and offering valuable takeaways for future research and practice.

Published: March 2025

Machine learning is being adopted by more and more Canadian workplaces. Given this technology’s ability to learn, adapt and generate work outputs, it also has the potential to perform job tasks in place of humans. But which workers might be most affected by the use of machine learning? An IWH study explores this question.

Published: November 2024

As we think about the impact of the future of work, it's crucial to consider that certain groups of workers may be disadvantaged. That's why a recent IWH project set out to gain an understanding of strategies that could be used to maximize inclusion for persons with disabilities in the future of work.

Published: Rehab & Community Care Medicine , October 2024

Machine learning, a form of artificial intelligence, is increasingly being used by Canadian workplaces to drive innovation and raise productivity. Given its capacity to learn, adapt, and generate outputs with increasing independence, this technology could be used to perform job tasks that are physical or cognitive in nature, across a broad range of industries and occupations. As the impacts of machine learning may be distributed inequitably across different occupations and worker groups, a study examined the occupational and worker characteristics that are linked to high or low machine learning exposure.

Published: July 2024

Job training initiatives are an important gateway to work opportunities, especially for persons living with disabilities who face persistent barriers to employment. However, as technological advances lead to changes in the nature and availability of work, training programs need to be more responsive to the diverse needs of persons with disabilities.

Published: January 2024

Published: American Journal of Industrial Medicine, January 2024

Published: SSM - Qualitative Research in Health, November 2023

Evolving social, technological, economic, environmental, and political forces are shaping all aspects of our working world. For young adults living with a disability who are entering and working their way up in the labour market, the changing nature of work can create both barriers and opportunities. In this presentation, Dr. Arif Jetha Jetha shares three scenarios or narratives describing the ways things might meaningfully change in the future for young adults with disabilities. He also discusses how these scenarios can be used to develop labour market policies and programs that respond to future needs and promote inclusion for young adults living with a disability.

Published: October 2023

Throughout history, periods of technological transformation have introduced new tools to workplaces and altered working conditions in ways that have impacted worker health in both positive and negative ways. The increasing availability of smartphone technology, for example, has given rise to the digital gig economy characterized by temporary and freelance work, or short-term contracts. While this shift presents novel work opportunities, it also contributes to widespread labour market precarity that has negatively impacted the well-being of workers. This article is reprinted from an article authored by IWH's Dr. Arif Jetha in The Conversation Canada.

Published: Canadian Manufacturing, August 2023

Businesses are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to solve problems and perform tasks that have traditionally required human intelligence. However, the rapid rate of AI adoption is putting workplaces at risk of overlooking its potentially adverse impacts, particularly those that could impact the health and well-being of workers, writes IWH's Dr. Arif Jetha.

Published: The Conversation Canada, August 2023