Dr. Arif Jetha
Dr. Arif Jetha is associate scientific director and scientist at the Institute for Work & Health. He is also an associate professor (status-only) at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health.
Jetha earned his PhD in behavioural sciences and public health at the University of Toronto, and an MSc in health community and development from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He also held post-doctoral fellowships at the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety and the Institute for Work & Health.
Jetha’s program of research aims at understanding how sociopolitical, technological, environmental and economic changes that characterize the future of work affect the health and employment participation of vulnerable workers including young workers and persons living with disabilities. He is specifically interested in the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) on the health, safety and well-being of workers. In 2025, he became the director and principal investigator of the Partnership on AI and the Quality of work (PAIQ). It's a seven-year partnership project to study AI, job quality and worker wellbeing.
To pursue his research program, Jetha takes a systems perspective and uses a mixed-methods research approach. He collaborates closely with diverse research partners to produce findings that can inform policy and practice.
“The world of work is changing at a rapid rate. Studying the future of work allows me to understand the emerging challenges facing workers and create an evidence base that can be used to inform the design of policies and programs that are resilient to change and protect the most vulnerable.”
— Dr. Arif Jetha
Projects
- Future-proofing young Canadians with disabilities for the changing labour market. Funded by New Frontiers in Research Fund (a Tri-Agency Program—CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC). Completed. (PI on the project)
- Return to work in policing: synthesizing current practices and implementation guidance. Funded by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario. Completed.
- Transitioning to the future of work: an intersectional study of vulnerable youth and young adults. Funded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Completed. (PI on the project)
Publications
- Jetha A. Santé et travail en 2040: Anticiper les changements à venir en santé et sécurité des travailleurs. Institute for Work & Health; 2026.
- Jetha A. Work & health 2040: Anticipating changes impacting the futures of occupational health and safety. Institute for Work & Health; 2026.
- Jetha A, Crouch M, Vold K, Peters SE, Vietas J, Sriharan A, Irvin E. Artificial intelligence in the workplace: a living systematic review protocol on worker safety, health, and well-being implications. Systematic Reviews. 2025;14(1):255. doi:10.1186/s13643-025-03000-0.
- Crouch M, Gignac MA, Hamdani Y, Shadaan R, Nasir K, Smith PM, Kristman VL, Jetha A. Calling it like they see it? Young adults' discourses of employment and labour market inequalities. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. 2025 epub ahead of print. doi:10.1108/EDI-03-2025-0155.
- Di Giuseppe G, Jetha A, Pechlivanoglou P, Pole JD. Income after cancer across gender and age among Canadian adolescents and young adults. Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 2025 epub ahead of print. doi:10.1093/jnci/djaf333.
Speaker Series presentations
- Fragmentation in the future of work: Exploring the impact of the changing nature of work on vulnerable workers. IWH Speaker Series. February 23, 2021.
- Promoting labour market transitions for young adults with chronic disabling conditions: a systematic review. IWH Speaker Series. November 27, 2018.
- Life course concepts in the work experiences of people with arthritis. IWH Speaker Series. November 22, 2016.
Research summaries
- Which workers and jobs will be most affected by machine learning?. Research Highlights: Institute for Work & Health, July 2025.
- How do employment support programs impact the health of young adults with episodic disabilities?. Research Highlights: Institute for Work & Health, April 2024.
- Three future of work scenarios to help develop inclusion strategies for young people with disabilities. At Work article: Institute for Work & Health, May 2023.
- Examining the link between job insecurity, work limitations and persistent symptoms among young adults with rheumatic disease. Research Highlights: Institute for Work & Health, August 2022.
- Getting the message right: strategies to improve return-to-work communication. Research Highlights: Institute for Work & Health, July 2022.
Media coverage
- AI's growing role and uneven impact at work. Canadian Occupational Safety. November 19, 2025. Available from: https://www.thesafetymag.com/ca/news/general/ais-growing-role-and-uneven-impact-at-work/547108
- Are safety leaders embracing artificial intelligence?. Canadian Occupational Safety: Key Media Business Information. March 25, 2025. Available from: https://www.thesafetymag.com/ca/topics/technology/are-safety-leaders-embracing-artificial-intelligence/529997
- Top ranked strategies to support young persons with disabilities at work . Rehab & Community Care Medicine : BCS Communications Ltd.. October 11, 2024. Available from: http://publications.rehabmagazine.ca/publication/?i=832566&view=issueBrowser
- Top-ranked strategies to support young persons with disabilities in the future of work. Charity Village. August 9, 2024. Available from: https://charityvillage.com/top-ranked-strategies-to-support-young-persons-with-disabilities-in-the-future-of-work/
- AI is reshaping the workplace – but what does it mean for the health and well-being of workers?. Canadian Manufacturing. August 29, 2023. Available from: https://www.canadianmanufacturing.com/features/ai-is-reshaping-the-workplace-but-what-does-it-mean-for-the-health-and-well-being-of-workers/