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

Robots lift boxes from a conveyor belt in a factory without human workers
At Work article

IWH researchers create roadmap for AI research that prioritizes worker health

Using insights from a group of experts brought together in the fall of 2022, an IWH team has developed a four-part research agenda. It's designed to guide AI research and spark conversations to ensure worker health and safety are at the forefront of AI policy and adoption in the workplace.
Published: August 31, 2023
Drawing of a Black youth looking at the Employee of the Month board, which features pictures of robots.
At Work article

Three future of work scenarios to help develop inclusion strategies for young people with disabilities

What do we need to do now to ensure the inclusion of young adults with disability in the future world of work? Using strategic foresight methods, an IWH team generated three future scenarios of the working world and their implications for persons with disabilities.
Published: May 31, 2023
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series

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

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
Robots lift boxes from a conveyor belt in a factory without human workers
At Work article

IWH researchers create roadmap for AI research that prioritizes worker health

Using insights from a group of experts brought together in the fall of 2022, an IWH team has developed a four-part research agenda. It's designed to guide AI research and spark conversations to ensure worker health and safety are at the forefront of AI policy and adoption in the workplace.
Published: August 2023
Journal article
Journal article

Racism: a neglected piece of the work disability management puzzle

Published: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, August 2023
Journal article
Drawing of a Black youth looking at the Employee of the Month board, which features pictures of robots.
At Work article

Three future of work scenarios to help develop inclusion strategies for young people with disabilities

What do we need to do now to ensure the inclusion of young adults with disability in the future world of work? Using strategic foresight methods, an IWH team generated three future scenarios of the working world and their implications for persons with disabilities.
Published: May 2023
Project report
Project report

Three scenarios of a future working world [for young adults living with a disability]

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
Journal article
Journal article

The future of work in shaping the employment inclusion of young adults with disabilities: a qualitative study

Published: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, January 2023
A roomful of business people listen to a presentation
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
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