Is precarious employment an occupational hazard? Evidence from Ontario, Canada
Abstract
Objectives To examine the association between precarious employment and risk of occupational injury or illness in Ontario, Canada. Methods We combined accepted lost-time compensation claims from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board with labour force statistics to estimate injury and illness rates between January 2016 and December 2019. Precarious employment was imputed using a job exposure matrix and operationalised in terms of temporary employment, low wages, irregular hours, involuntary part-time employment and a multidimensional measure of 'low', 'medium', 'high' and 'very high' probabilities of exposure to precarious employment. Negative binomial regression models examined exposure to precarious employment in relation to risk of occupational injury or illness. Results After adjusting for age, sex and year, all indicators of precarious employment were associated with increased risk of injury or illness. Workers with 'high' and 'very' high' exposure to precarious employment presented a nearly threefold risk of injury or illness (rate ratio (RR): 2.81, 95% CI 2.73 to 2.89; RR: 2.82, 95% CI 2.74 to 2.90). Further adjustment for physical demands and workplace hazards attenuated associations, though a statistically and substantively significant exposure-outcome relationship persisted for workers with 'high' and 'very high' exposures to precarious employment (RR: 1.65, 95% CI 1.58 to 1.72; RR: 2.00, 95% CI 1.92 to 2.08). Conclusions Workers exposed to precarious employment a…
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The precariousness of an occupation is a critical determinant to the health and safety of workers.
“The precariousness of an occupation is a critical determinant to the health and safety of workers (1–3).”
From Large language model exposure and precarious occupations: Unpacking relationships in the Canadian labor force (2026) · cites this paper as [3]
Greater exposure to temporary employment, low wages, irregular work hours or involuntary part-time work was associated with a greater workplace injury risk in a recent analysis of 231 307 lost-time compensation claims in Ontario, Canada, over a four-year period.
“A recent analysis of 231 307 lost-time compensation claims in Ontario, Canada, over a four-year period, found that greater exposure to temporary employment, low wages, irregular work hours or involuntary part-time work was associated with a greater workplace injury risk.”
From Large language model exposure and precarious occupations: Unpacking relationships in the Canadian labor force (2026) · cites this paper as [3]
Financial insecurity and economic unpredictability faced by workers in precarious occupations are associated with greater stress and anxiety and working conditions, which are harmful to worker physical and mental health.
“Also, research highlights that financial insecurity and economic unpredictability faced by workers in precarious occupations are associated with greater stress and anxiety and working conditions, which are harmful to worker physical and mental health (3, 10–12).”
From Large language model exposure and precarious occupations: Unpacking relationships in the Canadian labor force (2026) · cites this paper as [3]
Using an approach developed by Shahidi et al, we examined four dimensions of precarity using items collected in the LFS: contractual instability, earnings inadequacy, schedule unpredictability and working-time mismatch.
“Using an approach developed by Shahidi et al (3), we examined four dimensions of precarity using items collected in the LFS: contractual instability (ie, temporary employment), earnings inadequacy (ie, low wages), schedule unpredictability (ie, irregular hours) and working-time mismatch (ie, involuntary part-time employment).”
From Large language model exposure and precarious occupations: Unpacking relationships in the Canadian labor force (2026) · cites this paper as [3]
Cites
Precarious Employment: Understanding an Emerging Social Determinant of Health
Benach, J., Vives, A., Amable, M., Vanroelen, C., Tarafa, G., & Muntaner, C. (2014) · Annual Review of Public Health · doi:10.1146/annurev-publhealth-032013-182500 · Cited by 1,354 · see citing works
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Jetha, A., Liao, Q., Smith, P., Vu, V., Biswas, A., Smith, B., & Vahid Shahidi, F. (2026) · Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health · doi:10.5271/sjweh.4312
“The precariousness of an occupation is a critical determinant to the health and safety of workers ( 1–3 ).”
InfluentialSelf-citation
- Authors
- Shahidi, F. V., Liao, Q., Landsman, V., Mustard, C., Robson, L. S., Biswas, A., & Smith, P. M.
- Affiliations
- University of Toronto (CA)
- Institute for Work & Health (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Shahidi, Faraz Vahid
- ORCID
- Venue
- Occupational and Environmental Medicine
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Published
- 2024-08
- Volume
- 81
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 381-387
- ISSN
- 0007-1072 (ISSN-L)
- 1351-0711
- 1470-7926
- OpenAlex
- W4401247617
- Cited by
- 8
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 4
- FWCI
- 4.72
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Occupational and Environmental Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Employment and Welfare Studies
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Health and Safety in Workplaces
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Workplace Health and Well-being
- Keywords
- precarious employment, occupational injuries, occupational diseases, temporary employment, involuntary part-time work, low wages, irregular working hours, occupational hazards, workplace health and safety, Ontario
- MeSH terms
- Job Security, Adult, Employment, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Occupational Diseases, Ontario, Risk Factors, Workers' Compensation, Occupational Exposure, Occupational Injuries
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