The NERI seminar titled 'The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Employment Relations - A European Study' was presented by Mr. Kevin P. O'Kelly, Industrial Relations & EU Social Policy Researcher. It took place on Wednesday 5 November 2025 at 15.30 as an online Zoom event.
Please find the presentation and video from the NERI seminar.
Lecture Format: Mr. Kevin O'Kelly, Industrial Relations & EU Social Policy Researcher made his presentation. Subsequently, there was a Q&A section where the chairperson, NERI Co-director, Dr. Tom McDonnell presented questions from attendees to Kevin.
Abstract: In 2020 the European Social Partners adopted a Framework Agreement on Digitalisation. This agreement addressed the challenges of digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for EU employment under four Pillars:
- Digital skills and securing employment
- Modalities of connecting and disconnecting
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) and guaranteeing the Human-in-Control principle
- Respect of human dignity and surveillance.
As all social partner national organisations in the EU are required by this Agreement to take a pro-active involvement in its ‘transposition’ into national employment policies and agreements, the European Commission funded a study project by the research consortium I’m involved in to examined how the Agreement was been implemented in seven EU Member States:
Bulgaria; Cyprus; Estonia; Ireland; Malta; Romania; and Sweden.
One of the key findings of this study was an increased focus by the national social partner organisations on the last two Pillars: a) the impact of AI on the future of work; and b) the issue of using digital / AI systems for surveillance of workers and for monitoring performance and output.
Consequently, our research group submitted a proposal to the European Commission for funding for a ‘follow-up’ project to study the impact of AI on employment and its application for the monitoring of workers. This was approved by the Commission and this new, follow-up, study runs from April, 2024, to March 2026. So, we are close to completion. This project has social partner participants from:
Bulgaria; Cyprus; Italy; Ireland; Malta; Poland; and Romania
In my presentation I propose to:
- Outline the methodology we have adopted – compare national policies; a questionnaire-based for enterprise level, study, by sector:
- Education
- Financial services
- Health
- Manufacturing
- Media.
- Outline some of the key national findings, to date
- Outline some of the initial possible outcomes and recommendations to the European Commission.
Biography of presenter: Kevin P O’Kelly, TransFormWork 2 Project Coordinator, was an Associate Researcher with the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI), Brussels, 2002-2014, including: a member of the ETUI GOODCORP group, investigating employee rights in EU company legislation; a member of the ETUI’s SEEurope Network (2001-2012); and the Editorial Board of Transfer, (1996-2012). He was also a member of the ETUC Reflection Group on employee involvement rights and the Democracy at Work campaign (2013-2016).
He was a Research Manager with the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound), Dublin (1989-2002), with responsibility for a range of projects on employment, work organisation, social dialogue and industrial relations. During the 1990s, he was also involved in the programme to build relations with the newly established social partners and the Ministries for Labour and Social Affairs in the ten countries of Central and Eastern Europe during the decade of transition to the market economy and preparations for accession to the EU in 2004 and 2026.
Kevin has been involved in many studies on employment policy and social rights issues for the Council of Europe. He has also lectured on education/training programmes related to employee involvement, social dialogue and EU social policies in the ILO Training Centre, Turin. He was a member of the Executive Committee of the International Industrial Relations Association (now ILERA) (1998-2003) and chair of the organising committee for the European Regional Congress, Dublin,1997.
He was Head of Research and Policy and then Director of the Combat Poverty Agency, an Irish State-funded social policy advice and research organisation (2003-2010).
Kevin has co-ordinated a number of European Commission funded projects for Combat Poverty and for the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. He has also participated in the projects co-ordinated by CITUB and the Bulgarian Industry Association (BIA).
He was political advisor to the Irish Minister for Labour (1977-1981).