EU Recommendation – supporting transport workers in the digital age

20 February 2024: The EU Commission has adopted a Recommendation to support transport workers in the digital age. It proposes five actions: raising awareness, assessing skills, improving working conditions, managing change and using funding and invites stakeholders to follow and share the Recommendation.

The transport sector is undergoing a major transformation due to automation and digitalisation. These technologies offer many benefits, such as increased efficiency, safety and environmental sustainability. However, they also pose significant challenges for the transport workforce, such as changing skill requirements, job displacement and new forms of work organisation.

To address these challenges, the European Commission adopted a Recommendation on 29 November 2023, as part of its Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy. The Recommendation aims to ensure a just transition for transport workers, by providing guidance and support to various stakeholders, such as employers, workers, education and training providers, sector associations, social partners, civil society organisations and policymakers.

The Recommendation proposes five main actions to prepare the transport workforce for the future:

• Raising awareness of the impact of automation and digitalisation, and the opportunities and risks they entail, through communication campaigns, research and monitoring.
• Assessing skills needs and promoting training, to help workers acquire the necessary competences and qualifications for an automated and digitalised work environment, and to facilitate their mobility and employability across the sector.
• Improving working conditions, and recognising the important role of social dialogue, in managing change and fostering workplace innovation, to ensure decent work, health and safety, and workers’ rights and participation in the transport sector.
• Managing change in a proactive and participatory manner, by involving workers and their representatives in the design and implementation of automation and digitalisation projects, and by providing adequate support measures, such as career guidance, counselling, and retraining, for those affected by the transition.

The Commission has therefore invited all relevant stakeholders to follow the Recommendation and to share their experiences and best practices. The Commission will also monitor the implementation of the Recommendation and report on its progress and impact.

Members can find the recommendation here: EUR-Lex - 32024H0236 - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu)

For more information, please contact: MOVE-B5-SOCIAL@ec.europa.eu