Newcomers and work
Immigrant workers account for much of the labour force growth in Canada. IWH research seeks to understand the work experiences of recent immigrants or newcomers to Canada. The focus of this research includes the barriers newcomers face in understanding and accessing their occupational health and safety and workers’ compensation rights and responsibilities, and the tools and programs needed to help ensure they can be safe and productive members of the Canadian labour force.
Featured
At Work article
Arts-based study reveals complexities of working as a nail technician
Workplace hazards have been the focus of many studies on the health and safety of nail salons and their workers. An arts-based study strived to demonstrate the complexity of nail technicians’ relationships to their work, finding both harms and joys.
Published: July 31, 2025
At Work article
Meeting on newcomer workers’ health inspires ideas for research and collaboration
Newcomer workers have a higher risk getting injured or ill at work than Canadian-born workers. In a step to address this longstanding issue, IWH recently hosted over 50 stakeholders to discuss the health and safety challenges these workers face.
Published: December 6, 2024
Journal article
Journal article
Safe employment integration of recent immigrants and refugees
Published: Journal of International Migration and Integration, June 2020
At Work article
Supporting settlement agencies to raise OHS awareness among newcomers
Newcomers to Canada face a higher risk of workplace injury and illness, due in part to a lack of knowledge about their OHS rights and responsibilities. Settlement agencies can help raise this awareness, but they also need support from the prevention system to do so, according to a recent project.
Published: April 2020
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
Capacity building and evaluation of OHS training in settlement agencies
Newcomers to Canada are at an increased risk of workplace injury and illness, due in part to a lack of knowledge about their rights and responsibilities in occupational health and safety (OHS). Settlement agencies are well-positioned to promote OHS awareness among newcomers, but some may lack the resources and capacity to do so. In this presentation, Institute for Work & Health (IWH)'s Dr. Basak Yanar joins Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW)'s Eduardo Huesca to talk about the development and delivery of the OHS capacity-building workshops for settlement agencies. They will share results of an evaluation capturing the experiences of service providers and newcomer clients, and discuss opportunities for Ontario’s OHS system partners to further support the settlement sector.
Published: January 2020
Journal article
Journal article
Tool for the meaningful consideration of language barriers in qualitative health research
Published: Qualitative Health Research, January 2020
Tools and guides
Safe Work Toolkit for Newcomers (Ontario)
This toolkit contains everything needed to deliver instructional sessions to newcomers in Ontario on their occupational health and safety (OHS) and workers' compensation rights and responsibilities.
Published: December 2019
IWH in the media
New beginnings: Recent immigrants need more support to reduce their heightened risk of injury
A recent study spanning across the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada found newcomers are at a higher risk of work-related injury and illness. Canadian Occupational Safety editor Amanda Silliker speaks to health and safety professionals and researchers in Canada, including IWH's Dr. Basak Yanar, about ways to reduce risks among recent immigrants.
Published: Canadian Occupational Safety, August 2019
Journal article
Journal article
Occupational health and safety vulnerability of recent immigrants and refugees
Published: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, September 2018
Research Highlights
OHS vulnerability among new immigrants
Recent immigrant workers are 1.6 times more likely than Canadian-born workers to experience occupational health and safety (OHS) vulnerability, defined as exposure to hazards without adequate protection to mitigate those hazards.
Published: August 2018
IWH in the media
Baranyai: Workplace training key for safety of newcomers
A local store manager was eager to help newcomers from Syria find employment, but he made something clear. Before they could work a single shift, they would need sufficient language skills to complete job safety training. This safety-first approach is not a universal experience among recent immigrants, according to a study by the Institute for Work & Health, writes columnist Robin Baranyai.
Published: The London Free Press, April 2018
Project
Project
Role of employers and settlement agencies in safe employment integration
Status: Completed 2020