Policy Brief

Karolien Lenaerts, Allison Dunne, Laurène Thil, Anouk Van Obergen, Steven Dhondt

Industry 5.0 needs more than technology adoption alone. Its success depends on whether companies, workers and social partners can jointly shape how technologies are introduced, how work is reorganised, how skills are developed, and how risks to job quality, health, safety and well-being are addressed. Social dialogue is therefore not an add-on to Industry 5.0, but one of the institutional mechanisms through which its human-centric, resilient and sustainable ambitions can be translated into practice.

This policy brief is part of the BRIDGES 5.0 project’s stakeholder engagement efforts, as it covers the topic of social dialogue and the role of the social partners in advancing Industry 5.0. BRIDGES 5.0 emphasises the involvement of both employers’ organisations and trade unions in the transition to Industry 5.0. It recognises their role in the workplace, sectoral, regional, and (supra)national levels, where the social partners not only negotiate agreements but also serve as governance actors shaping and making policies. Besides engaging in social dialogue and collective bargaining around Industry 5.0, social partners also contribute to the transition towards Industry 5.0 through their role in sectoral training funds, regional networks, and other bodies, e.g. by supporting the anticipation of changing Industry 5.0 skill needs, the validation and certification of skills, etc.