A growing body of research highlights the severe health risks linked to precarious employment. Two recent studies by the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) in Ontario emphasize the heightened risk of workplace injuries and illnesses workers face in precarious jobs. As precarious employment becomes more common in high-income countries such as Canada and the United States, employers need to understand its impact on occupational health and safety, especially if they prioritize the well-being of their workers. Precarious work increases the risk of workplace injury, making it a critical issue for employers to address.
Understanding Precarious Employment
Precarious employment encompasses work arrangements that lack stability, predictability, and security. We often describe jobs characterized by temporary contracts, fluctuating hours, or minimal benefits as precarious. Workers in these roles frequently face heightened vulnerability in the labor market and reduced ability to challenge unsafe working conditions for fear of job loss. While many view physical hazards as the primary sources of workplace risk, the IWH studies argue that precarious employment is a powerful determinant of health and safety outcomes.
Precarious Employment and Work Injuries
Published in Occupational & Environmental Medicine, the first study examined the relationship between precarious employment and workplace injury or illness. Researchers analyzed lost-time compensation claims from Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) between 2016 and 2019, alongside data from Statistics Canada’s Labor Force Survey. By categorizing jobs based on their levels of precariousness—low, medium, high, or very high—the study revealed a clear pattern: jobs with the highest levels of precariousness had almost three times the risk of injury or illness compared to those with more secure conditions.
The studies underscore the stark health disparities faced by workers in precarious employment. Compared to workers in low-precarity jobs, the studies found:
- Workers with medium levels of precarious employment have a 105% higher risk of injury or illness.
- There is an 181% higher risk for those in jobs with high levels of precariousness.
- There is an 182% higher risk for workers with very high exposure to precarious employment.
Researchers found that workers in precarious employment faced a much greater risk of injury and illness, even after accounting for traditional physical hazards like dangerous chemicals or machinery. Temporary employment, irregular hours, and involuntary part-time work still doubled the injury risk for the most precarious jobs, even after considering these factors. According to Dr. Faraz Shahidi, lead author of the study, this suggests that precarious employment acts as an “upstream driver” of work-related harm, increasing injury and illness risks beyond what is explained by the physical conditions of the job alone.
Precarious Employment and COVID-19
The second study, published in Epidemiology & Community Health, extended these findings to the COVID-19 pandemic. It focused on compensation claims for work-related COVID-19 infections from April 2020 to April 2022. Similar to the first study, jobs that involved precarious work were linked to a higher risk of COVID-19.
Precarious employment conditions were strongly linked to increased COVID-19 infection rates during the pandemic:
- Workers with very high exposure to precarious employment faced five times the risk of contracting COVID-19.
- Even when controlling for job factors likely to increase COVID-19 risk—such as public-facing work and working in close proximity—workers in precarious jobs still had a fourfold higher risk of infection.
These findings highlight the need to improve precarious employment conditions to lower workplace risks. Enhancing job quality through better employment protections and health and safety policies could help vulnerable workers stay safe.
Implications for Employers and Policymakers
The findings from both studies underscore the importance of addressing precarious employment as a key factor in workplace health and safety strategies. The researchers recommend policy changes to improve job security and strengthen workers’ rights, such as:
- Stronger employment protections for temporary and part-time workers.
- Stricter scheduling requirements to provide more stable working hours.
- Enhanced enforcement of workplace safety standards, especially for industries with a high prevalence of precarious employment.
Tackling the root causes of precarious work can significantly reduce workplace injuries, illnesses, and infections. The two studies by IWH reveal that we can effectively reduce these risks by introducing policy changes. Employers can take meaningful steps by improving job quality and ensuring all workers can access secure and stable employment.
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