Temporary workers

Temporary work, particularly work procured through temporary work agencies (temp agencies), is increasingly common in our changing economy and its demand for a flexible labour market. This type of employment involves workers who are employed by temporary work agencies and then hired out to perform work at, and under the supervision of, clients of these agencies. IWH research looks at the nature of temp agency work as it relates to workplace injuries, illnesses, workers’ compensation and return to work.

A young man behind the wheel of a car checks his smartphone
Research Highlights

Exploring the health and safety risks facing ride-share drivers

Ride-share drivers face physical and mental health risks that are not only similar to, but also distinct from, those of taxi drivers. Beyond the risks experienced by taxi drivers, ride-share drivers face stressors unique to this form of work.
Published: March 2020
Journal article
Journal article

Stressful by design: exploring health risks of ride-share work

Published: Journal of Transport & Health, June 2019
The Toronto Star logo
IWH in the media

Temp agency proposal leaves workers vulnerable, legal clinics say

A new policy on temp agencies under consideration at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board is “inadequate” and fails to “address and rectify the very real dangers temporary employment agencies pose to workers,” says a coalition of Toronto-based legal clinics. Sara Mojtehedzadeh reports in a story citing Institute for Work & Health research on temporary agency workers.
Published: The Toronto Star, February 2018
The Toronto Star logo
IWH in the media

Undercover in temp nation

Amina Diaby died last year in an accident inside one of the GTA’s largest industrial bakeries where, the company says, worker safety is its highest concern. The 23-year-old was one of thousands of Ontarians who have turned to temporary employment agencies to find jobs that often come with low pay and little training for sometimes dangerous work. The Star’s Sara Mojtehedzadeh went undercover for a month at the factory where Diaby worked
Published: The Toronto Star, September 2017
Office cleaner with back turned
Impact case study

Ontario intends to make client employers liable for injury-related cost of temporary agency workers

With regulatory change, Ontario's Ministry of Labour addresses gap in experience rating system after IWH study shows temp workers falling through the cracks.
Published: December 2015
The Toronto Star logo
IWH in the media

Ontario employers cashing in on temporary workers

The second in a four-part series looks at the precarity of temp agency work. The Institute for Work & Health's Dr. Ellen MacEachen is interviewed about her research on injury risks among temp agency workers.
Published: The Toronto Star, May 2015
Video
Video

Health and safety issues for low-wage temp agency workers

The complex employment relationship between temporary agency workers, temp agencies and client employers creates loopholes and incentives that may leave low-wage temp agency workers more vulnerable to workplace injuries, says research from the Institute for Work & Health.
Published: July 2014
Project report
Project report

Understanding the management of injury prevention and return to work in temporary work agencies

How are temporary work agencies organized to manage injury prevention and return to work in light of their non-standard organization? How can we better protect the workplace health of temporary work agency workers? This report shares the results of a study that aimed to answer these questions, focusing on job placements for unskilled and semi-skilled jobs by temporary agencies of all sizes.
Published: July 2014
At Work article
At Work article

Temp agency workers falling through cracks in OHS system

The complex employment relationship between temporary agency workers, temp agencies and client employers creates loopholes and incentives that may leave low-wage temp agency workers more vulnerable to workplace injuries, says new research from the Institute for Work & Health.
Published: July 2012