Changes from plenary report to adopted text

2. Recalls that the digital transition, including the growing use of AI and algorithmic management, has the potential to generate positive outcomes for the labour market and new employment opportunities; is concerned, however, about the significant challenges it presents for workers, particularly in terms working and employment conditions; emphasises, therefore, that any new initiative on AI and algorithmic management must ensure quality jobs and safeguard workers’ well-being in the digital era;

Empowering workers with skills and knowledge

3. Stresses that new technologies in the workplace can constitute an important competitive and productivity advantages, support innovation and may bring better return to the companies using them; underlines in this regard the fact that companies should be encouraged to integrate such technologies in a responsible, transparent and inclusive manner, with respect to workers privacy and data protection, to build trust among workers; stresses that the use of such technologies in the workplace should be meticulously overseen rather than restrained;

4. Stresses that artificial intelligence can serve as a key enabler for innovative entrepreneurship, particularly in supporting micro, small and medium-sized enterprises to scale up, improve productivity and compete in the digital economy; calls on the Commission and Member States, while applying the principle of proportionality and operational viability, to facilitate access to AI-related tools, knowledge and infrastructure for start-ups and small businesses, including through targeted Union programmes and advisory support; underlines that investing in AI at Union level can contribute to creating new jobs and to building a more resilient and competitive ecosystem of micro and small enterprises across the Union; welcomes the sectoral flagships in the Commission communication of 8 October 2025 entitled ‘Apply AI Strategy’;

5. Recognises that in-work literacy, education as well as continuous up- and reskilling on new technologies introduced in the workplace, particularly those that directly affect workers' tasks and performance, are essential for ensuring adequate working conditions, well-being, safety, autonomy and professional development of workers, as well as for enhancing the overall adaptability, and the competitiveness of companies; stresses that training is also essential for employers, managers and other persons who deploy, develop and oversee the use of such systems day to day; stresses that workers and their representatives, including trade unions, should be informed and involved in the deployment procedures of such technologies, in order to yield good results, and must be given sufficient time and support to familiarise themselves with such technologies;

6. Welcomes the Union of Skills initiative; calls on the Commission to ensure that the expected Quality Jobs roadmap fully reflects the need for continuous upskilling, reskilling, and in-work training including on AI and algorithmic management through an individual right to training for all workers; stresses that all relevant initiatives aiming to support workers and companies in this transition must prioritise skills development in AI and digitalisation in order to strengthen Europe's labour market and global competitiveness; stresses that these initiatives must be adequately supported, including through sufficient financial resources at Union and national level;

7. Highlights the crucial role of the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) in preparing both the current and future workforce, employers and managers, for the digital transition through targeted investment in skills development, training and inclusive employment opportunities; calls on the Commission to maintain and further strengthen the Fund in the post-2027 period, in a way that will secure the access to digital upskilling and reskilling for all workers, with particular attention to those in sectors and regions most affected by technological change, so it can continue to serve as a key Union instrument for supporting a fair, inclusive, innovative and competitive digital transition;

8. Underlines that strategic public investment in AI is essential to complement private innovation, ensure ethical and transparent AI governance, and facilitate equitable access to digital tools and skills across all regions; urges Member States to accelerate the implementation of AI-related measures under their national recovery and resilience plans, in close coordination with regional and local authorities, so as to maximise the Facility’s contribution to a fair and competitive digital transition;

9. Calls on the Commission and Member States to continue monitoring the demand and supply on the labour market, and promote cooperation between educational institutions, employers and trade unions, in order to better anticipate the future skills needed to embrace the potential of digital transition; underlines a thorough skills assessment will help workers, employers and training providers identify upskilling and reskilling needs related to artificial intelligence and algorithmic management in the workplace; stresses that such an assessment should be practical, accessible and adapted to the specific realities of SMEs, and serve as a basis for targeted training programmes supported through existing Union and national funding; welcomes the proposal for creating a European Skills Intelligence Observatory; stresses that the current lack of disaggregated data regarding the prevalence and type of AI and algorithmic management systems deployed and the categories of workers subject to them hinders evidenced-based policy making, and urges the Commission to improve data collection in this area;

10. Highlights that, in line with the principles of subsidiarity and respect for national industrial relations systems, Member States may allow social partners to maintain, negotiate, conclude and enforce collective agreements in view of implementing or complementing provisions on AI and algorithmic management laid down at Union level;

11. Is concerned that the use of AI and algorithmic management systems is contributing to the phasing out of certain entry-level jobs, which traditionally serve as an essential gateway into the labour market, underlines the fact that these risks disproportionately affecting young people and first-time jobseekers; emphasises that in order for the Union to reap the benefits of digital transformation in the workplace, create and reshape jobs, there is a need to ensure that workers, including entry-level and low-skilled workers, have the necessary skills to work in the digital era; underlines that the unknown full impact of the evolution of AI and algorithmic management is already affecting other types of work and other categories of workers as well, including high-skilled jobs; therefore calls on the Commission and Member States, to take proactive measures, including integrating relevant digital skills training into national education systems including vocational education and training (VET) curricula, to ensure that young people entering the labour market are adequately supported and provided with meaningful employment opportunities, in the evolving digital economy;

Creating a safe and inclusive workplace

12. Stresses that the increasing use of digital technologies in the workplace presents both opportunities and challenges, while the full impact of this transition is yet unknown; considers, on one hand, that such technologies can increase flexibility and enable better work-life balance through remote work and flexible working arrangements; recognises, on the other hand, that they pose numerous risks to the mental health of workers and their work-life balance by blurring the boundaries between professional and private life due to growing pressure on workers to be reachable at any time; underlines also that algorithmic management entails data protection risks, including undue surveillance and the monitoring of workers outside of the workplace; underlines the fact that, if not managed properly, such developments can lead to excessive work-related stress, burnout, the increase of work-related psychosocial risks, loss of autonomy and increasing sentiment of social and professional isolation;

13. Recognises that algorithmic management can be a source of discrimination and bias detrimental to workers and in particular women workers without appropriate human oversight, emphasises that the design, deployment, and use of AI and algorithmic management systems must proactively prevent biases and discrimination particularly those based on gender, racial or ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, or other protected characteristics, in order to promote and safeguard equality and diversity in the workplace; is concerned that vulnerable groups have less access to AI-related employment opportunities and to productivity-enhancing AI tools in the workplace, which could prevent the benefits of AI from being broadly and fairly shared;

14. Recognises that AI and algorithmic management could improve efficiencies, and enable individualised adjustments to work environments as well as overall working conditions, but may also raise performance pressure which can lead to serious health and safety risks, such as musculoskeletal and cardiovascular disorders or mental or physical exhaustion, causing workers to overlook or disregard safety alerts, significantly increasing the risk of workplace accidents; stresses that the use of AI and algorithmic management systems should serve as a supportive tool with a real added value to workers and that worker perspectives on incorporating it into workspaces are largely unexplored;

15. Underlines the need to monitor and address those risks in a comprehensive manner and that any new deployment or significant change in the use of AI tools or algorithmic management systems in the workplace should be subject to health and safety assessment, which includes risk evaluation, prevention and protection measures, under the responsibility of the employers, in accordance with the Directive 89/391/EEC and continuous monitoring with a view to the latest scientific insights, and to ensure human oversight and control of those assessments; encourages the development, in cooperation with social partners, at an appropriate level, of sector-specific guidance on the responsible deployment of AI in the workplace which ensures respect for fundamental rights and the exchange of best practices;

16. Underlines the crucial role of social dialogue and the active involvement of workers and their representatives in accordance with Directive 2002/14/EC in the deployment, use and evaluation of AI and algorithmic management technologies in the workplace, in particular to tailor use in different sectors; stresses that meaningful participation of workers and their representatives in decision-making processes at all stages as well as provision of information and consultation on and in-work training to facilitate the application of new technologies by all workers, fostering a sense of autonomy, (self-) confidence and trust, help to mitigate the risks of new technologies and lead to better, more effective and human-centred integration of AI in the workplace;

17. Underlines the need for clear assignment of oversight responsibilities concerning the deployment and use of AI and algorithmic management systems at workplaces in line with the ‘human-in-control-principle’, in order to ensure accountability, ensure effective human supervision, and enable workers to identify the human contact point in case they need to exercise their rights; stresses that effective human oversight and review requires a genuine capacity to understand, monitor, and, where necessary, intervene in AI systems’ operation, taking into account the inherent challenges posed by complex and opaque AI systems, as well as risks of automation bias; underlines therefore that human oversight must not be merely a formalistic exercise, but an accessible safeguard for verifying, explaining and correcting AI-decisions and that such human contact point must have the competence, training and authority necessary to exercise that function;

19. Highlights the potential AI and algorithmic management have for the inclusion of workers with disabilities in the labour market; recognises, however, that there are particular challenges that persons with disabilities, older workers and vulnerable individuals may face in adapting to new technologies in the workplace; therefore calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure that companies deploying AI and algorithmic management systems introduce inclusive and tailored support measures which foster the increased participation of persons with disabilities in the labour market and their access to new technologies; underlines that everybody should benefit from technological advancements;

20. Calls on the Commission and Member States to guarantee the right to effective reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities in line with the Directive 2000/78/EC, and to respect their ultimate authority to determine whether AI-based assistive technologies in the workplace is adapted to their individual needs; stresses, in this context, the importance of flexible working methods and in-work training, as well as effective opportunities to deploy the use of assistive technology in consultation with persons with disabilities and their representatives; calls on the Commission to integrate the impact of AI use in the workplace in the forthcoming revision of the Union Strategy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;

Ensuring future-proof regulatory environment

21. Stresses that if the Union aims to be at the forefront of the digital transition, it must lead by example in setting high standards for the deployment of AI and algorithmic management at the workplace, including clear rules on transparency and human oversight;

23. Calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure that European companies and public institutions have access to trustworthy and sovereign AI tools developed in accordance with European democratic values, avoiding technological lock-in to providers from non-EU jurisdictions;

24. Calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure that deployment of algorithmic systems in the workplace prioritises the use of technologies developed, trained and hosted within the Union, in order to safeguard fundamental rights, data protection, cybersecurity and strategic autonomy;

25. Underlines that regulatory responses at the European level should be carefully considered and preceded by an analysis of existing legislation, developed in cooperation with social partners and respecting subsidiarity, in order to ensure a harmonised solution with high level of protection of workers across the Union and a level playing field in the internal market, including by full implementation of existing European and national legal frameworks; emphasises the importance of ensuring a predictable regulatory environment in order to promote innovation, competitiveness and fair competition; calls on the Commission to ensure that any legislation and initiatives related to algorithmic management in the workplace avoid duplication or overlap with existing relevant Union instruments and do not impose unnecessary administrative burden, especially for SMEs, reduces costs and facilitates compliance;

26. Recognises that companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), are already facing significant challenges in navigating divergent and increasingly complex regulatory framework; emphasises the need for tailored guidance, tools, and support mechanisms to help SMEs implement all requirements effectively;