Work as a Lever for Improving Population Health

A person who lives to 79 years old will spend on average 90,000 of their 692,040 hours at work. Yet despite the large proportion of time most people spend at work, research into the impact it has on health is relatively limited. How, when and why people work is changing rapidly. One estimate from the World Economic Forum indicated that 85 million jobs might be displaced by automation in the next 5 years. The association between health and work has tended to focus on occupational hazard and risk, rather than how work can influence the health and wellbeing of an individual.

This commissioned Lancet Series on Work and Health aims to address this gap. It identifies six changing themes in the world of work from the impact of technology on the nature of work in High-Income Countries, culminating in the COVID-19 pandemic’s sudden shift to telework to the looming threat of climate change’s effects on work and explore work as a social determinant of health, with a focus on mental health and an inclusive workforce. This session will feature presentations from the authors, and a panel discussion and Q&A to explore the key message of the Series – that work is an undervalued lever for improving population health. Major gains in population health and reduced health disparities can be realized by an increased focus on improving the work environment.