Precarious Employment and Health of Marginalized Workers in Toronto: A Community-Engaged Qualitative Investigation

Context: Racialized immigrants and newcomers to Canada disproportionately face precarious, low-paid, and nonstandard employment, which is consistently linked to negative health outcomes from work-related injuries and illnesses. Methods: This community-engaged qualitative study draws on interviews and focus groups with 45 workers and 11 key informants. Using a critical political economy lens, it examines the experiences of marginalized, precariously employed workers, focusing on the intersection of policies, employment precarity, and health. Results: Workers in unstable, low-paid jobs, often secured through temporary employment agencies (TEAs), experienced significant negative impacts on their health and wellbeing. Socio-economic pressures pushed racialized and immigrant workers into precarious roles with poor conditions, where fear of job loss outweighed health and safety concerns. Workers encountered numerous challenges, including wage theft and difficulties accessing compensation. Precarity of their employment conditions and relations were exacerbated by systemic inequities like lack of paid sick leave and limited access to government benefits, such as Employment Insurance. Conclusion: Compounded by a lack of, underenforced or unenforced regulations, these inequitable employment conditions underline the urgent need for systemic reforms to mitigate precariousness, enhance workers’ rights, and access to statutory entitlements, ultimately improving the health and wellbeing of workers who are marginalized in our society.