A Bridges 5.0 Report Summary

Industry 5.0 is conceptualised by the European Commission as an industrial paradigm that goes beyond efficiency and productivity to reinforce the industry’s role in society by focusing on human well-being, sustainability, and resilience. It integrates human-centricity by placing workers’ needs and values at the core of production processes, promoting sustainable and resilient industrial growth in Europe.

This report levers innovative AI methodologies and non-traditional data sources to bridge the gap between the theoretical concept of Industry 5.0 and its practical application at company level. It draws on unstructured data such as job postings, company profiles, YouTube videos, academic articles, stock exchange data and collective agreements to offer a detailed empirical analysis of Industry 5.0 company practices across Austria, France, the Netherlands and the UK. Findings focus primarily on the human-centric dimension of Industry 5.0, which distinguishes it from previous industrial paradigms. They also lay the groundwork for further research and policy development in this emerging field.

Challenges in Measuring Industry 5.0

Industry 5.0 encompasses complex pillars: human-centricity, sustainability, and resilience. Whilst human-centricity is central, defining and measuring it empirically is challenging due to its multifaceted interpretations among stakeholders and the evolving nature of the concept. Existing literature spans engineering, ergonomics, and social sciences perspectives, highlighting human-robot collaboration, job quality, and work-life balance as key elements.

Companies exhibit varying levels of Industry 5.0 maturity, reflected in distinct organisational practices and skill requirements. High-maturity companies tend to have flatter hierarchies and participatory decision-making processes, contrasting with traditional top-down firms. This dynamic necessitates new measurement frameworks combining official statistics with agile, non-traditional data sources to capture Industry 5.0’s evolving landscape effectively.

Data collection employed customised web scrapers and online search tools across countries, with careful cleaning and organisation to ensure quality and reliability. For instance, 2.1 million job vacancies were scraped from multiple countries, and 156,264 French collective agreements were downloaded and analysed for Industry 4.0 mentions to inform Industry 5.0 insights.

Characterising Industry 5.0 Key Terms

Given the absence of a dedicated taxonomy for Industry 5.0, the project developed an Industry 5.0 dictionary to standardise the identification of relevant concepts found in unstructured data. Text mining on YouTube videos, academic articles, and conceptual papers revealed dominant terms such as “smart factories,” “human-robot collaboration,” “digital”, “technology,” and “coworking,” emphasising the human-centric nature of Industry 5.0. The three core pillars (human-centricity, sustainability, resilience) appeared linked in academic and other texts but less so in webinars, highlighting the evolving discourse.

Alongside expert validation, the AI-driven dictionary clusters these patterns into seven major groups with detailed sub-clusters. Examples include:

• Self-realisation: family-like atmosphere, personal impact, recognition.
• Empowerment and sustainability: social benefits, open communication, future-proofing, positive environmental impact.
• Equality: diversity, no bias, disability inclusion.
• Work format: remote work, flexible scheduling.
• Benefits and financial wellness: pension schemes, equity plans.
• Health support: mental health programs, health insurance.
• Balanced living initiatives: work-life balance events, sustainable transport.

Analysis of Companies’ Practices

Job Vacancies

Analysing job vacancies from Austria, France, the Netherlands and the UK revealed that between 33.8% and 60.2% of vacancies mention at least one Industry 5.0 pattern. The most frequently mentioned major groups across countries were:

• Supportive and open work environment
• Training and career impact
• Balanced living initiatives

Country-specific variations exist; for example, Austria emphasises “training and career impact” most, while France and the UK highlight “supportive and open work environment.” This indicates a consistent employer focus on fostering positive workplace cultures and professional development.

Company Profiles

Using Glassdoor data, company descriptions were analysed for Industry 5.0 alignment. Percentages of companies mentioning at least one Industry 5.0 pattern ranged from 14.3% in France to 39.1% in Austria. Across countries, companies emphasised:

• Empowerment and sustainability
• Supportive and open work environment
• Training and career impact
• Balanced living initiatives

This suggests a prevalent trend of companies portraying themselves as environmentally conscious and employee-focused, though the report notes the complexity of assessing greenwashing.

Employee Reviews

Glassdoor ratings from employees across the four countries averaged around 3.7 to 3.8 out of 5 for categories aligning with Industry 5.0 dimensions such as Culture & Values, Diversity & Inclusion, Work/Life Balance, and Compensation & Benefits. “Senior Management” received the lowest average score, indicating potential areas for organisational improvement .

Country	Mean Score	Standard Deviation	Number of Companies
UK	3.69	0.46	9,763
Austria	3.76	0.83	5,823
France	3.72	0.46	9,900
Netherlands	3.76	0.48	9,438

Next Steps and Conclusions

Future project phases include integrating additional data sources such as stock exchange data, and collective agreements, followed by linking these databases to create a composite index measuring companies’ alignment with Industry 5.0 practices. The comprehensive AI-based methodology and Industry 5.0 dictionary developed provide valuable tools for deeper exploration of Industry 5.0’s implications on workforce skills, organisational practices, and policy development.

In conclusion, the report demonstrates the feasibility of using AI and non-traditional data to analyse Industry 5.0, highlighting the prominence of human-centric practices such as supportive work environments, training, empowerment, and sustainability. It offers a foundational framework for ongoing research and informs stakeholders about emerging trends in the evolving industrial landscape.