Future of work
The world of work in Canada and other industrialized countries is undergoing rapid transformation. Major forces driving change include 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 marginalized groups 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
Research Highlights
Which workers and jobs will be most affected by machine learning?
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?
Published: November 15, 2024
At Work article
How job training can better meet the needs of persons with disabilities
Job training initiatives are an important gateway to work opportunities, especially for persons living with disabilities who face persistent barriers to employment. A pair of IWH studies found three key areas where these skilling programs should focus.
Published: January 11, 2024
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
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
Journal article
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
Journal article
Journal article
Guest editorial. The benefits of inclusion: disability and work in the 21st century
Published: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, 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