Personal Support Workers in Canada: The New Precariat?

Abstract

There has been much recent discussion internationally about the emergence in modern society of a new class of workers – the precariat – with a common consciousness based on features such as low wages, insecurity, short-term jobs, minority status and restricted rights. This paper critically explores the extent to which the growing, large-scale group of personal support workers (PSWs) can be viewed as part of a new precariat in terms of their position in the healthcare labour market. Drawing on currently available empirical data, this issue is examined particularly with reference to PSWs in Canada – drawing out some of the implications for government health policy in this sphere.

Interdisciplinary and Collaborative Approaches Needed to Determine Impact of COVID-19 on Older Adults and Aging: CAG/ACG andCJA/RCVJoint Statement

“…Researchers have long sounded the alarm that home support workers are providing care in unregulated private residences, up to a dozen per day, and largely function as lone operators (Craven, Byrne, Sims-Gould, & Martin-Matthews, 2012;Doran et al, 2009;Macdonald & McLean, 2018). Given the precarious nature of their work (Zagrodney & Saks, 2017), many personal support workers work both in LTC and home care, although some provinces have suspended this practice in the response to COVID-19 (DeClerq, 2020; Eagland, 2020).…”

Essentially invisible: risk and personal support workers in the time of COVID‐19

“…Tasks performed by PSWs may include activities of daily life like dressing, bathing and toileting, as well as assistance with walking, medication reminders, light housekeeping and general social support. Some PSWs may also be found in more traditional medical settings, such as hospitals, assisting nurses and doctors with similar types of care tasks and additional clinical care such as taking blood pressures or temperatures (Personal Support Network of Ontario 2020, Ontario Personal Support Workers Association 2020, Zagrodney and Saks 2017), and however, PSWs also form the staffing backbone of many organisations that provide intimate, daily care – in particular, residential spaces such as long‐term care facilities (LTCs).…”

“…However, similar to many other countries, Canadian PSWs are unregulated healthcare workers and thus are not certified or registered, nor do they have a governing body that advocates for their status as workers. Zagrodney and Saks (2017) argue that PSW work can be considered part of the precariat – an emerging class of workers that is defined by features such as low wages, job insecurity and short‐term employment including work that is often contractually limited, part‐time and on‐call. Due to the part‐time and on‐call nature of the work, Kelly and Bourgeault (2015) note that the exact number of PSWs employed in any given country at one time can be difficult to count; however, data collected by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long‐Term Care show that the number of PSWs and similar healthcare aides in the province well exceeds the number of nurses and doctors.…”

“…Specifically, we examine the work and conditions of PSWs – a form of labour that did not exist in 1918 – to examine gendered dynamics of risk that have emerged during COVID‐19. PSWs, who may be known by a range of titles such as ‘healthcare aides’ or ‘nursing assistants’, are common in countries such as Canada, Denmark, Australia, the UK and the United States (Zagrodney and Saks 2017). These healthcare workers engage in a variety of care‐related task within personal homes and ‘hybrid’ healthcare facilities such as long‐term care residences and may be hired privately or employed by an organisation (Lilly 2008).…”

La nécessité des approches interdisciplinaires et collaboratives pour évaluer l’impact de la COVID-19 sur les personnes âgées et le vieillissement: déclaration conjointe de l’ACG / CAG et de la RCV / CJA

“…Ces travailleurs visitent ainsi jusqu'à une douzaine de résidences par jour, et travaillent en grande partie seuls (Craven, Byrne, Sims-Gould et Martin-Matthews, 2012 ;Doran et al, 2009 ;Macdonald et McLean, 2018). Étant donné la nature précaire de leur travail (Zagrodney et Saks, 2017), de nombreux travailleurs du soutien à domicile oeuvrent à la fois en institutions de soins de longue durée et dans les soins à domicile, bien que certaines provinces aient suspendu cette pratique depuis l'arrivée de la COVID-19 (DeClerq, 2020 ;Eagland, 2020).…”