Melissa Perri1,2, Amy Craig-Neil1, Mark Gaspar2, Charlotte Hunter3,4, Claire Kendall5,6,7,8,9, Ower Alexander1, Andrew D Pinto10,11,12,13. 1. Upstream Lab, MAP/Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, Unity Health Toronto, 30 Bond St, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 1W8, Canada. 2. Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College St, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 3M7, Canada. 3. Casey House, 119 Isabella St, Toronto, Ontario, M4Y 1P2, Canada. 4. Department of Family and Community Medicine, St. Michael's Hospital, 500 University Ave, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1V7, Canada. 5. Department of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa, 600 Peter Morand Crescent Suite 201, Ottawa, Ontario, K1G 5Z3, Canada. 6. C.T. Lamont Primary Health Care Research Centre, Bruyère Research Institute, 85 Primrose Ave, Ottawa, Ontario, K1R 6M1, Canada. 7. Institut du Savoir Montfort, Montfort Hospital, 713 Montreal Rd, Ottawa, Ontario, K1K OT2, Canada. 8. Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Box 511, Ottawa, Ontario, K1H 8L6, Canada. 9. Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, 209 Victoria St, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 1T8, Canada. 10. Upstream Lab, MAP/Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, Unity Health Toronto, 30 Bond St, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 1W8, Canada. andrew.pinto@utoronto.ca. 11. Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College St, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 3M7, Canada. andrew.pinto@utoronto.ca. 12. Department of Family and Community Medicine, St. Michael's Hospital, 500 University Ave, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1V7, Canada. andrew.pinto@utoronto.ca. 13. University of Toronto Practice-Based Research Network, 500 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, K1H 8L6, Canada. andrew.pinto@utoronto.ca.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Effective treatment has extended the life expectancy and reduced disability in people living with HIV (PLWH). However, previous research has found 45-65% of working-age PLWH were unemployed compared to 5-10% in the general public of North America and Europe. We examined the barriers to gaining employment among PLWH. METHODS: Thirty-five in-depth interviews were conducted in person or over the phone with PLWH living in Toronto or Ottawa. This included PLWH who were unemployed but actively seeking employment, as well as PLWH who had successfully gained employment through an agency that specifically supported PLWH funded by the AIDS Committee of Toronto. Interviews were conducted between February 2019 and March 2020. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: The majority of participants were between the ages of 40-55 and identified as male. Participants shared many common barriers when describing their attempts to attain or maintain employment. Although varying in employment status at the time of the study, consistent barriers included experiencing HIV stigma in workplaces, challenges overcoming mental health illnesses, and difficulties in navigating social assistance and unemployment insurance programs when pursuing a return to work. CONCLUSIONS: PLWH face significant barriers when attempting to engage with employment opportunities. Health providers and organizations can do more to support campaigns to end HIV stigma, to support individuals in pursuing employment, and to advocate for policy change that supports reentry into the workforce for PLHA.
BACKGROUND: Effective treatment has extended the life expectancy and reduced disability in people living with HIV (PLWH). However, previous research has found 45-65% of working-age PLWH were unemployed compared to 5-10% in the general public of North America and Europe. We examined the barriers to gaining employment among PLWH. METHODS: Thirty-five in-depth interviews were conducted in person or over the phone with PLWH living in Toronto or Ottawa. This included PLWH who were unemployed but actively seeking employment, as well as PLWH who had successfully gained employment through an agency that specifically supported PLWH funded by the AIDS Committee of Toronto. Interviews were conducted between February 2019 and March 2020. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: The majority of participants were between the ages of 40-55 and identified as male. Participants shared many common barriers when describing their attempts to attain or maintain employment. Although varying in employment status at the time of the study, consistent barriers included experiencing HIV stigma in workplaces, challenges overcoming mental health illnesses, and difficulties in navigating social assistance and unemployment insurance programs when pursuing a return to work. CONCLUSIONS: PLWH face significant barriers when attempting to engage with employment opportunities. Health providers and organizations can do more to support campaigns to end HIV stigma, to support individuals in pursuing employment, and to advocate for policy change that supports reentry into the workforce for PLHA.
Entities:
Keywords:
Barriers; Employment; HIV; Social determinants of health
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