Men and women at work in Canada, 1991–2016

January 2021: A new paper in Labour & Industry describes the distribution of labour by sex/gender across occupations in the Canadian workforce and examines changes in this distribution since 1991. Women’s increased labour force participation in Canada is a well-known trend over the past 40 years, and there is a perception that the gendered division of workplaces has decreased over time. This study found that over 40% of broad occupational categories were highly divided; three-quarters were mainly composed of men. For the most precise classifications, 58% of occupations were highly divided (78% mainly composed of men). The forces driving sex-segregated jobs include systems of gender essentialism, organizational hierarchies that favour men, and labour markets that are change-resistant.

Are you a young construction worker?

April 2024: We are looking for young workers in the British Columbia (BC) construction industry to complete a confidential online survey about their current job/trade, working conditions that could contribute to musculoskeletal symptoms, and how these affect their well-being. Respondents will be entered into a draw to win a $100 Amazon gift card as a thank you for participating.

New paper: Does intra-provincial mobility matter as much as inter-provincial mobility?

January 2024: This paper uses residential and employer location from workers’ compensation data to identify non-mobile workers (working and living in the same region of BC), intra-provincially mobile workers (working and living in different regions of BC) and inter-provincially mobile workers (working in BC and living outside BC) to estimate differences in work disability duration. The findings suggest that work disability duration was longest for inter-provincially mobile workers, even after matching workers on similar characteristics. Differences were attenuated in some industries (e.g., natural resources and mining), possibly due to more familiarity with mobile workers, and/or greater ability to accommodate workers. Read more in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Presentations at Cascadia 2024

January 2024: PWHS PhD student Xiaocong Guo will present on heat-related illness and injury in BC in 2021 compared to 2001-2020; Research Associate Robert Macpherson will present on work injury among fisheries, aquaculture, maritime and land transportation workers, and Director of Privacy and Operations Suhail Marino will present posters evaluating OHS management systems at the Annual Cascadia Symposium on Environmental, Occupational, and Population Health, January 11-12, 2024 in Blaine, WA.

Registration, lodging and call for abstracts for Cascadia 2024: Occupational, Environmental & Population Health Conference

November 2024: The call for abstracts is open for podium presentations, ignite talks, and posters. Abstracts that relate to any occupational, environmental, or population health topics are welcome. Registration and hotel booking are now live.