Future of work
In two decades’ time, the world of work in Canada and other industrialized countries will look very different than it does today. Major forces are driving change: digital technologies, artificial intelligence, climate change, demographic shifts and more. This change may bring far-reaching social, political and economic consequences for a generation of workers. IWH researchers are exploring the emerging issues posed by some of these trends—on health and safety, on work inequities, and on the inclusion of vulnerable and often marginalized young adults in the future of work—and seeking policy, system and workplace actions that can be implemented now to help ensure a healthy and inclusive future for all
Featured
At Work article
Launching a research program on AI, work and health
Uses of artificial intelligence (AI) are all around us but, until now, few researchers have examined the impact of AI through the lens of worker inequities and worker health and safety. In October, a team led by IWH Scientist Dr. Arif Jetha kicked off a new research program at IWH on these topics.
Published: December 5, 2022
At Work article
What’s connecting the global OHS community? Five things heard at the XXII World Congress on Safety and Health at Work
"Prevention in the Connected Age" was the theme at the core of the XXII World Congress on Safety and Health at Work, which was held September 20-23, 2021. From the many topics connecting the occupational health and safety community, we highlight a shortlist of five key ones.
Published: October 8, 2021
Project report
Project report
Three scenarios of a future working world
In the fall of 2022, an Institute for Work & Health (IWH) research team set out to examine how working life could change in Canada over the next seven years and what the implications might be for young adults with a disability. Using strategic foresight methods, the IWH team created three future scenarios that are designed to provoke discussion about the policies needed now to ensure an inclusive future for people with disabilities.
Published: March 2023
At Work article
Launching a research program on AI, work and health
Uses of artificial intelligence (AI) are all around us but, until now, few researchers have examined the impact of AI through the lens of worker inequities and worker health and safety. In October, a team led by IWH Scientist Dr. Arif Jetha kicked off a new research program at IWH on these topics.
Published: December 2022
Journal article
Project
Project
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.
Status: Ongoing
Project report
Project report
Strategies to ensure young persons with disabilities are included in the future of work
Researchers at the Institute for Work & Health are looking for concrete ways to ensure youth and young adults with disabilities are included in the future of work. In the summer of 2021, a research team conducted an online survey with a wide range of people across Canada. This report summarizes six key areas in the future of work that survey participants indicated could both pose difficulties and offer opportunities to young people with disabilities. The report also presents the solutions that participants suggested to address the barriers and take advantage of the opportunities.
Published: May 2022
Project
Project
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.
Status: Ongoing
IWH in the media
‘My new co-worker is shiny’: Pandemic accelerated adoption of workplace robots
As new workplace health and safety needs surface due to the pandemic, these emerging demands require fresh, dynamic solutions. For robotics, pandemic was its time to shine, writes Jack Burton, with comments from Dr. Arif Jetha from the Institute for Work & Health.
Published: OHS Canada, April 2022
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
What the future of work looks like to young people with disabilities
What do young people with disabilities think about when they weigh their job options and consider their career goals? Given the massive changes expected in the world of work—changes brought on by the rise of automation, digital technologies, new forms of work, among others—what barriers and opportunities do young people with disabilities perceive on the horizon? In this presentation, IWH Scientist Dr. Arif Jetha shares findings from his interview-based study of young adults with disabilities. He also discusses what support they need to meet the challenges and take advantage of the potential opportunities of a changing labour market.
Published: December 2021
At Work article
What’s connecting the global OHS community? Five things heard at the XXII World Congress on Safety and Health at Work
"Prevention in the Connected Age" was the theme at the core of the XXII World Congress on Safety and Health at Work, which was held September 20-23, 2021. From the many topics connecting the occupational health and safety community, we highlight a shortlist of five key ones.
Published: October 2021
Journal article
Journal article
Fragmentation in the future of work: a horizon scan examining the impact of the changing nature of work on workers experiencing vulnerability
Published: American Journal of Industrial Medicine, June 2021