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Precarious employment and the workplace transmission of COVID-19: evidence from workers’ compensation claims in Ontario, Canada
  1. Faraz V Shahidi1,2,
  2. Qing Liao1,
  3. Victoria Landsman1,2,
  4. Cameron A Mustard1,2,
  5. Lynda Robson1,3,
  6. Aviroop Biswas1,2,
  7. Peter M Smith1,2
  1. 1 Institute for Work and Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  2. 2 Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  3. 3 Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  1. Correspondence to Dr Faraz V Shahidi; fshahidi{at}iwh.on.ca

Abstract

Objective To examine the association between precarious employment and risk of work-related COVID-19 infection in Ontario, Canada.

Methods We combined data from an administrative census of workers’ compensation claims with corresponding labour force statistics to estimate rates of work-related COVID-19 infection between April 2020 and April 2022. Precarious employment was imputed using a job exposure matrix capturing temporary employment, low wages, irregular hours, involuntary part-time employment and a multidimensional indicator of ‘low’, ‘medium’, ‘high’ and ‘very high’ overall exposure to precarious employment. We used negative binomial regression models to quantify associations between precarious employment and accepted compensation claims for COVID-19.

Results We observed a monotonic association between precarious employment and work-related COVID-19 claims. Workers with ‘very high’ exposure to precarious employment presented a nearly fivefold claim risk in models controlling for age, sex and pandemic wave (rate ratio (RR): 4.90, 95% CI 4.07 to 5.89). Further controlling for occupational exposures (public facing work, working in close proximity to others, indoor work) somewhat attenuated observed associations. After accounting for these factors, workers with ‘very high’ exposure to precarious employment were still nearly four times as likely to file a successful claim for COVID-19 (RR: 3.78, 95% CI 3.28 to 4.36).

Conclusions During the first 2 years of the pandemic, precariously employed workers were more likely to acquire a work-related COVID-19 infection resulting in a successful lost-time compensation claim. Strategies aiming to promote an equitable and sustained recovery from the pandemic should consider and address the notable risks associated with precarious employment.

  • COVID-19
  • OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
  • Health inequalities
  • EMPLOYMENT
  • WORKPLACE

Data availability statement

Data may be obtained from a third party and are not publicly available. Data may be obtained via request from the Statistics Canada Research Data Centre Network (https://crdcn.ca/) and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (https://www.wsib.ca/en).

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Data availability statement

Data may be obtained from a third party and are not publicly available. Data may be obtained via request from the Statistics Canada Research Data Centre Network (https://crdcn.ca/) and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (https://www.wsib.ca/en).

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Footnotes

  • Contributors FVS and PS developed the study idea. QL performed the analysis with assistance from FVS, PS and VL. All authors discussed and interpreted the study findings. FVS wrote the first draft of the manuscript. All authors provided substantive comments and suggestions. All authors have reviewed the final version of the manuscript and have approved it for submission. FVS is the guarantor for this study.

  • Funding This research did not receive any specific funding from agencies in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors. All authors worked for the Institute for Work & Health while this project was completed. The Institute for Work & Health is supported through funding from the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD).

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer-reviewed.

  • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.