Inequity, discrimination, and burnout fuel Alberta's health-care crisis

EDMONTON, AB — A new report from Parkland Institute finds that widespread experiences of discrimination, wage inequities, and job-related stress are contributing to a serious retention challenge within Alberta’s allied health-care workforce — the professionals who support everything from emergency response and diagnostic testing to mental health and rehabilitation services.

The report, Undervalued and Overstretched: Inequity, Discrimination, and the Crisis Facing Alberta’s Allied Health-Care Workforce, draws on data from almost 30,000 members of the Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA), as well as a large-scale survey of nearly 1,800 respondents and in-depth interviews with 23 participants.

“This is a workforce under significant pressure,” says Jenny Godley, lead author and professor at the University of Calgary. “These workers play essential roles across the health-care system, from paramedics and lab technologists to social workers and therapy assistants, but their experiences are often overlooked,” she adds.

The report uncovered systemic wage inequities, where being female, having a disability, or being a member of a visible minority are all associated with lower hourly wages. “For every extra percent of females in the profession, the median hourly wage goes down by $3.60,” explains Godley.

Discrimination toward health-care professionals is pervasive, particularly among front-line staff who interact directly with patients. More than 80% of allied health-care workers report experiencing discrimination at work, with 13% saying that discrimination is simply ‘part of the job.’ “Workers have become so used to experiences of discrimination that they are considered almost mundane,” says Godley.

Also concerning are the very high levels of stress reported by allied health-care workers, with nearly 70% describing their job as ‘very stressful’ and 75% calling it ‘emotionally draining’. “These figures are striking and indicate a heavy emotional burden,” says Godley. One survey respondent put it bluntly: “We are crashing. We are so tired and burnt out, yet management ignores this. Right now, our clients have better mental health than the clinicians.”

As Alberta moves forward with plans to dismantle AHS and replace it with four new sectoral agencies, the study asked survey and interview participants for their views on the changes proposed by the provincial government. Nearly 85% of respondents stated (some very strongly) that they were against the proposed changes, describing the health-care reforms as “confusing,” “demoralizing,” and “destabilizing.”

Not surprisingly for a workforce under this kind of strain, an alarming number of health-care professionals are contemplating a way out, with 37% of respondents reporting that they often think about quitting their job. “When one in three people in your workforce is thinking of quitting, that’s not a blip,” says Godley. “That’s evidence of structural strain that calls for more than temporary fixes or one-off interventions.”

The report recommends a suite of policy changes, including stronger pay equity enforcement, robust anti-discrimination measures, improved staffing levels, and formal structures for front-line worker input into health-care reform.

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For the full report, visit https://www.parklandinstitute.ca/undervalued

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Rita Espeschit
Research Communications Specialist, Parkland Institute
[email protected]