Differences in Work Disability Duration for Immigrants and Canadian-Born Workers in British Columbia, Canada

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate differences in work disability duration among immigrants (categorized as economic, family member or refugee/other classification upon arrival to Canada) compared to Canadian-born workers with a work-related injury in British Columbia. Immigrants and Canadian-born workers were identified from linked immigration records with workers’ compensation claims for work-related back strain, connective tissue, concussion and fracture injuries requiring at least one paid day of work disability benefits between 2009 to 2015. Quantile regression investigated the relationship between immigration classification and predicted work disability days (defined from injury date to end of compensation claim, up to 365 days) and modeled at the 25th, 50th and 75th percentile of the distribution of the disability days. With a few exceptions, immigrants experienced greater predicted disability days compared to Canadian-born workers within the same injury cohort. The largest differences were observed for family and refugee/other immigrant classification workers, and, in particular, for women within these classifications, compared to Canadian-born workers. For example, at the 50th percentile of the distribution of disability days, we observed a difference of 34.1 days longer for refugee/other women in the concussion cohort and a difference of 27.5 days longer for family classification women in the fracture cohort. Economic immigrants had comparable disability days with Canadian-born workers, especially at the 25th and 50th percentiles of the distribution. Immigrant workers’ longer disability durations may be a result of more severe injuries or challenges navigating the workers’ compensation system with delays in seeking disability benefits and rehabilitation services. Differences by immigrant classification speak to vulnerabilities or inequities upon arrival in Canada that persist after entry to the workforce and warrant further investigation for early mitigation strategies.

Work Disability Duration Among Mobile Workers

“…Calendar days for workers without a RTW event or still on claim were censored at 730 days. This measure is consistent with previous research using similar data 9 …”

“…Research suggests that compared with nonmobile or less mobile workers, mobile workers experience poorer work disability and return-to-work (RTW) outcomes following work-related injuries and illnesses. This is supported by research on workers who experience work-related injuries in different jurisdictions from where they are resident, such as immigrant workers, 9,10 and interjurisdictional workers in countries where workers' compensation falls under different provincial, territorial, or state jurisdictions. [11][12][13] It is also evident in research that compares work disability of workers from different areas based on their population size and commuting patterns, 14,15 as well as commuting time and sickness absence.…”

Maximizing disability diversity, language diversity, and productivity: A study in apparel manufacturing

“…In settings where the employees in a team come from multiple native languages, language-related communication barriers can lead to productivity drops, particularly when complemented with a high level of disability inclusion in more complex jobs. In studying work disabilities in British Columbia, Senthanar et al (2021) note that immigrant workers had substantial language barriers. Meyer (1980), when examining the historical perspective of the Ford assembly line, cites the influx of immigrant workers into the assembly line.…”

Work, Health, and the Ongoing Pursuit of Health Equity

“…The authors use study designs and logics derived from epidemiology, community-based (participatory) research, and the social sciences, employing qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods approaches to gather their data and undertake their analyses. As we considered the research, we categorized it into three general but not mutually exclusive content groupings, as follows: Studies that highlight the ways in which work interacts with other social phenomena to influence health [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]; Studies that focus on the context in which work happens and emphasize the importance of that context in shaping work or health [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]; Studies that encourage us to think more expansively about work [ 10 , 11 ]. …”

“…Studies that highlight the ways in which work interacts with other social phenomena to influence health [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ];…”