Towards future jobs in the textile industry: opportunities and challenges of Operator 5.0
Submitted: 2025-08-25
|Accepted: 2026-04-07
|Published: 2026-06-03
Copyright (c) 2026 Shah Md. Maruf Hasan, Md. Nahid-Ull-Islam; Abdul Mahadin Labid

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Downloads
Keywords:
Operator 5.0, textile industry, human-robot collaboration, automation, sustainability, resilient
Supporting agencies:
Abstract:
The study focuses on the future job opportunity in the textile industry by implementing Operator 5.0. Due to the rise of concepts like Society 5.0 and Industry 5.0, there is a paradigm shift of employment in the textile industry. The technologies enabled by these concepts require an overhaul of skills and responsibilities of worker, creating novel jobs in the textile industry. Based on the aforementioned concepts, the study observes the concept of Operator 5.0 to identify the future of job opportunity in the textile industry. The study presents a conceptual framework for implementing Operator 5.0 in the textile industry based on its core value and enabled technologies. The framework indicates that implementing Operator 5.0 in the textile industry can ensure worker welfare, sustainable, and resilient workplace. However, the study also emphasizes issues of multi interactive workplaces, diverse societal obstacles, policies, and the necessity of evaluating environmental and social impact during the implementation of Operator 5.0. The study suggests a holistic approach to implementing Operator 5.0 in the textile industry by government rules, incentives and collaborating with innovation centres
References:
Al Amin, M., Chakraborty, A., & Baldacci, R. (2025). Industry 5.0 and green supply chain management synergy for sustainable development in Bangladeshi RMG industries. Cleaner Logistics and Supply Chain, 100208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clscn.2025.100208
Alam, M. F. B., Hosen, M. I., Mridha, J. H., Chowdhury, S. E., & Rahman, M. A. (2023). Assessing the barriers of integrating technological innovations in textiles sector: Implications towards sustainable production. Green Technologies and Sustainability, 1(3), 100039. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.grets.2023.100039
Alamgir, F., & Banerjee, S. B. (2019). Contested compliance regimes in global production networks: Insights from the Bangladesh garment industry. Human Relations, 72(2), 272-297. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726718760150
Alkhammash, E. H., Karaa, W. b. A., Bhouri, N., Abdessalem, S. B., & Hassanien, A. E. (2022). Digital Twin Solutions for Textile Industry: Architecture, Services, and Challenges. In A. E. Hassanien, A. Darwish, & V. Snasel (Eds.), Digital Twins for Digital Transformation: Innovation in Industry (pp. 171-186). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96802-1_9
Are the clothes you are wearing free from child labour? (2024). European Commission. https://international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu/news-and-events/stories/are-clothes-you-are-wearing-free-child-labour_en
Bailey, K., Basu, A., & Sharma, S. (2022). The environmental impacts of fast fashion on water quality: a systematic review. Water, 14(7), 1073. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14071073
Ben Youssef, A., & Mejri, I. (2023). Linking Digital Technologies to Sustainability through Industry 5.0: A bibliometric Analysis. Sustainability, 15(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097465
Bick, R., Halsey, E., & Ekenga, C. C. (2018). The global environmental injustice of fast fashion. Environmental Health, 17,Article 92. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-018-0433-7
Borchardt, M., Pereira, G. M., Milan, G. S., Scavarda, A. R., Nogueira, E. O., & Poltosi, L. C. (2022). Industry 5.0 Beyond Technology: An Analysis Through the Lens of Business and Operations Management Literature. Organizacija, 55(4),305-321. https://doi.org/10.2478/orga-2022-0020
Breque, M., De Nul, L., & Petridis, A. (2021). Industry 5.0 – Towards a sustainable, human-centric and resilient European industry. Publications Office of the European Union. https://doi.org/doi/10.2777/308407
Bristi, U., Rajib, M. I., & Shoukat, S. (2020). Implementation of corporate social responsibility in the ready-made garment industry of Bangladesh in order to achieve sustainable development goals: a study on Bangladeshi garment manufacturers. Journal of Textile Science and Technology, 6(4), 232-246. https://doi.org/10.4236/jtst.2020.64019
Brunetti, D., Gena, C., & Vernero, F. (2022). Smart interactive technologies in the human-centric factory 5.0: a survey. Applied sciences, 12(16), 7965. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12167965
Bubicz, M. E., Barbosa-Póvoa, A. P. F. D., & Carvalho, A. (2019). Incorporating social aspects in sustainable supply chains: Trends and future directions. Journal of Cleaner Production, 237, 117500. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.06.331
Bubicz, M. E., Dias Barbosa-Póvoa, A. P. F., & Carvalho, A. (2021). Social sustainability management in the apparel supply chains. Journal of Cleaner Production, 280, 124214. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.124214
Calzavara, M., Faccio, M., & Granata, I. (2023). Multi-objective task allocation for collaborative robot systems with an Industry 5.0 human-centered perspective. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 128(1),297-314. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-023-11673-x
Chiesa, P. J., & Przychodzen, W. (2020). Social sustainability in supply chains: a review. Social Responsibility Journal, 16(8), 1125-1148. https://doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-11-2018-0301
Correia Simões, A., Lucas Soares, A., & Barros, A. C. (2020). Factors influencing the intention of managers to adopt collaborative robots (cobots) in manufacturing organizations. Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 57, 101574. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jengtecman.2020.101574
Deguchi, A., Hirai, C., Matsuoka, H., Nakano, T., Oshima, K., Tai, M., & Tani, S. (2020). What Is Society 5.0? In Society 5.0: A People-centric Super-smart Society (pp. 1-23). Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-2989-4_1
Esbenshade, J. L. (2004). Monitoring Sweatshops: Workers, Consumers, and the Global Apparel Industry. Temple University Press.
Fayet, L., & Vermeulen, W. J. (2014). Supporting smallholders to access sustainable supply chains: Lessons from the Indian cotton supply chain. Sustainable Development, 22(5), 289-310. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.1540
Fletcher, K. (2013). Sustainable fashion and textiles: Design Journeys (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315857930
Fraser, E., & Van der Ven, H. (2022). Increasing transparency in global supply chains: The case of the fast fashion industry. Sustainability, 14(18), 11520. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/su141811520
Galada, A., & Baytar, F. (2025). Design and evaluation of a problem-based learning VR module for apparel fit correction training. PLOS ONE, 20(1), e0311587. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0311587
Ghadimi, P., Wang, C., & Lim, M. K. (2019). Sustainable supply chain modeling and analysis: Past debate, present problems and future challenges. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 140, 72-84. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2018.09.005
Greinke, B., Petri, G., Vierne, P., Biessmann, P., Börner, A., Schleiser, K.,…Biessmann, F. (2021). An Interactive Garment for Orchestra Conducting: IoT-enabled Textile & Machine Learning to Direct Musical Performance Proceedings of the Fifteenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction, Salzburg, Austria. https://doi.org/10.1145/3430524.3442451
Hashim, M., Nazam, M., Zia-ur-Rehman, M., Abrar, M., Baig, S. A., Nazim, M., & Hussain, Z. (2022). Modeling Supply Chain Sustainability-Related Risks and Vulnerability: Insights from the Textile Sector of Pakistan. AUTEX Research Journal, 22(1), 123-134. https://doi.org/doi:10.2478/aut-2021-0008
Hattinger, M., & Stylidis, K. (2023). Transforming Quality 4.0 towards Resilient Operator 5.0 needs. Procedia CIRP, 120, 1600-1605. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2023.12.002
Huang, S., Wang, B., Li, X., Zheng, P., Mourtzis, D., & Wang, L. (2022a). Industry 5.0 and Society 5.0—Comparison, complementation and co-evolution. Journal of Manufacturing Systems, 64, 424-428. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmsy.2022.07.010
Huang, S., Wang, G., Lei, D., & Yan, Y. (2022)b. Toward digital validation for rapid product development based on digital twin: a framework. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 119(3), 2509-2523. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-021-08475-4
Hurley, J. (2005). Unravelling the Web: Supply Chains and Workers’ Lives in the Garment Industry. In Threads of Labour: Garment Industry Supply Chains from the Workers’ Perspective (pp. 95-132). Blackwell Publishing Ltd. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470761434.ch5
European Commission. https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/research-area/industrial-research-and-innovation/industry-50_en
Jia, F., Zuluaga-Cardona, L., Bailey, A., & Rueda, X. (2018). Sustainable supply chain management in developing countries: An analysis of the literature. Journal of Cleaner Production, 189, 263-278. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.03.248
Jia, P., Zhu, Y., Lu, J., Wang, B., Song, L., Wang, B., & Hu, Y. (2022). Multifunctional fireproof electromagnetic shielding polyurethane films with thermal management performance. Chemical Engineering Journal, 439, 135673. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2022.135673
Kazançoğlu, Y., Mangla, S., Berberoğlu, Y., Lafcı, Ç., & Madaan, J. (2023). Towards Industry 5.0 Challenges for The Textile and Apparel Supply Chain for The Smart, Sustainable, and Collaborative Industry in Emerging Economies. Information Systems Frontiers, 26, 1857-1872. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-023-10430-5
Kovari, A. (2025). A Framework for Integrating Vision Transformers with Digital Twins in Industry 5.0 Context. Machines, 13(1), 36. https://doi.org/10.3390/machines13010036
Kumar, P., Chakraborty, S., & Sahai, N. (2025). Neuroengineering and brain-machine interfaces. In S. Mahajan & A.K. Pandit (Eds.), Innovations in Biomedical Engineering (pp. 325-357). Academic Press. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-30146-9.00010-1
Laboratory, H.U. (2020). Society 5.0: A People-centric Super-smart Society. Springer Nature Singapore.
Leng, J., Sha, W., Wang, B., Zheng, P., Zhuang, C., Liu, Q.,…Wang, L. (2022). Industry 5.0: Prospect and retrospect. Journal of Manufacturing Systems, 65, 279-295. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmsy.2022.09.017
Li, X., Ghadami, A., Drake, J. M., Rohani, P., & Epureanu, B. I. (2021a). Mathematical model of the feedback between global supply chain disruption and COVID-19 dynamics. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 15450. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-94619-1
Li, X., Wang, B., Peng, T., & Xu, X. (2021b). Greentelligence: Smart Manufacturing for a Greener Future. Chinese Journal of Mechanical Engineering, 34(1), 116. https://doi.org/10.1186/s10033-021-00656-2
Li, X., Koren, Y., & Epureanu, B. I. (2022). Complementary learning-team machines to enlighten and exploit human expertise. CIRP Annals, 71(1), 417-420. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cirp.2022.04.019
Liu, H., & Wang, L. (2020). Remote human–robot collaboration: A cyber–physical system application for hazard manufacturing environment. Journal of Manufacturing Systems, 54, 24-34. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmsy.2019.11.001
Luque, A., & Herrero‐García, N. (2019). How corporate social (ir) responsibility in the textile sector is defined, and its impact on ethical sustainability: An analysis of 133 concepts. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 26(6), 1285-1306.
Mamasioulas, A., Dimitris, M., & and Chryssolouris, G. (2020). A manufacturing innovation overview: concepts, models and metrics. International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing, 33(8), 769-791. https://doi.org/10.1080/0951192X.2020.1780317
Mao, S., Wang, B., Tang, Y., & Qian, F. (2019). Opportunities and Challenges of Artificial Intelligence for Green Manufacturing in the Process Industry. Engineering, 5(6), 995-1002. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2019.08.013
Mim, I. Z., Rayhan, M. G. S., & Syduzzaman, M. (2024). Prospects and current scenario of industry 4.0 in Bangladeshi textile and apparel industry. Heliyon, 10(11). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32044
Mourtzis, D. (2020). Simulation in the design and operation of manufacturing systems: state of the art and new trends. International Journal of Production Research, 58(7), 1927-1949. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2019.1636321
Mourtzis, D., Angelopoulos, J., & Panopoulos, N. (2021). Smart manufacturing and tactile internet based on 5G in industry 4.0: Challenges, applications and new trends. Electronics, 10(24), 3175. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10243175
Mourtzis, D., Angelopoulos, J., & Panopoulos, N. (2022a). A Literature Review of the Challenges and Opportunities of the Transition from Industry 4.0 to Society 5.0. Energies, 15(17), 6276. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15176276
Mourtzis, D., Angelopoulos, J., & Panopoulos, N. (2022b). Operator 5.0: A Survey on Enabling Technologies and a Framework for Digital Manufacturing Based on Extended Reality. Journal of Machine Engineering, 22(1), 43-69.https://doi.org/10.36897/jme/147160
Müller, J. (2020). Enabling Technologies for Industry 5.0 – Results of a workshop with Europe’s technology leaders. Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/082634
Muñoz-Torres, M. J., Fernández-Izquierdo, M. Á., Ferrero-Ferrero, I., Escrig-Olmedo, E., & Rivera-Lirio, J. M. (2022). Social life cycle analysis of textile industry impacts for greater social sustainability of global supply chains. Systems,11(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems11010008
Nahid-Ull-Islam, M. (2025). Utilizing Society 5.0 to prevent bluewashing in the global textile supply chain. Tekstilna industrija. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.5937/tekstind2503050u
Nahid-Ull-Islam, M., & Hasan, S. M. M. (2025). Into the Revolution of Industry 5.0 in Ensuring Ethical Fashion: A Review on Conceptual Framework. Tekstilec, 68(4), 420-436. https://doi.org/10.14502/tekstilec.68.2025057
Nahid-Ull-Islam, M., Hasan, S. M. M., Akter, M., & Chowdhury, M. K. H. (2025). Opportunities and Challenges of Implementing Society 5.0 in the Textile Industry: A Review. Materials Circular Economy, 7(1), 39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42824-025-00192-7
Nakamba, C. C., Chan, P. W., & Sharmina, M. (2017). How does social sustainability feature in studies of supply chain management? A review and research agenda. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 22(6), 522-541.https://doi.org/10.1108/SCM-12-2016-0436
Naqvi, S. L. H., Nadeem, M., Ayub, F., Yasar, A., Naqvi, S. H. Z., & Tanveer, R. (2024). Social and Environmental Impacts in Textile Production. In P. Singh (Ed.), Dye Pollution from Textile Industry: Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Development (pp. 423-453). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-5341-3_19
Ozek, A., Seckin, M., Demircioglu, P., & Bogrekci, I. (2025). Artificial Intelligence Driving Innovation in Textile Defect Detection. Textiles, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/textiles5020012
Paliga, M. (2023). The Relationships of Human-Cobot Interaction Fluency with Job Performance and Job Satisfaction among Cobot Operators—The Moderating Role of Workload. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20065111
Perry, P., Osburg, V.-S., Huq, F. A., & Diallo, M. F. (2024). Fashionable Ethics: Exploring Ethical Perspectives in the Production, Marketing, and Consumption of Fashion. Journal of Business Ethics, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-024-05913-7
Peters, G., Svanström, M., Roos, S., Sandin, G., & Zamani, B. (2015). Carbon footprints in the textile industry. In S. S.Muthu (Ed.), Handbook of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Textiles and Clothing (pp. 3-30). Woodhead Publishing.https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-100169-1.00001-0
Power, E. G. (1969). A Textile Community in the Industrial Revolution. Longman.
Romero, D., & Stahre, J. (2021). Towards The Resilient Operator 5.0: The Future of Work in Smart Resilient Manufacturing Systems. Procedia CIRP, 104, 1089-1094. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2021.11.183
Safavi Jahromi, G., & Ghazinoory, S. (2025). Clothing industry in transition from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0. The Journal of The Textile Institute, 116(3), 365-379. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405000.2024.2336438
Saheal, H., & Mohammad, S. S. (2025). Future Workforce for Industry 5.0. In V. Ramasamy, S. Balamurugan, & S.-L.Peng (Eds.), Intelligent Robots and Cobots: Industry 5.0 Applications (pp. 107-129). John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/9781394198252.ch6
Sakib Sizan, N., Dey, D., Abu Layek, M., Uddin, M. A., & Huh, E.-N. (2025). Evaluating Blockchain Platforms for IoT Applications in Industry 5.0: A Comprehensive Review. Blockchain: Research and Applications, 100276. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bcra.2025.100276
Shabur, M., Shahriar, A., & Ara, A. (2025). From automation to collaboration: exploring the impact of industry 5.0 on sustainable manufacturing. Discover Sustainability, 6, 341. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-01201-0
Singh, S. (2024). Artificial Intelligence in the Fashion and Apparel Industry. Tekstilec, 67(3), 225-240. https://doi.org/10.14502/tekstilec.67.2024001
Smestad, L. (2009). The sweatshop, child labor, and exploitation issues in the garment industry. Fashion Practice, 1(2),147-162. https://doi.org/10.2752/175693809X469139
Sodhi, M. S., & Tang, C. S. (2018). Corporate social sustainability in supply chains: a thematic analysis of the literature.International Journal of Production Research, 56(1-2), 882-901. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2017.1388934
Solanes, J. E., Gracia, L., & Valls Miro, J. (2024). Advances in Human–Machine Interaction, Artificial Intelligence, and Robotics. Electronics, 13(19), 3856. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13193856
Sullivan, A. (2022). Britain’s ‘Dark Factories’: Specters of Racial Capitalism Today. Fashion Theory, 26(4), 493-508.https://doi.org/10.1080/1362704X.2022.2046861
Supriya, Y., Bhulakshmi, D., Bhattacharya, S., Gadekallu, T., Vyas, P., Kaluri, R.,…Mahmud, M. (2024). Industry 5.0 in Smart Education: Concepts, Applications, Challenges, Opportunities, and Future Directions. IEEE Access, 12, 81938 -81967. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3401473
Thunberg calls out climate impact of fashion brands in Vogue interview. (2021). BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58145465
Tran, T.-A., Abonyi, J., & Ruppert, T. (2024). Technology-enabled cognitive resilience: what can we learn from military operation to develop Operator 5.0 solutions? Production & Manufacturing Research, 12(1), 2368232. https://doi.org/10.1080/21693277.2024.2368232
Trstenjak, M., Benešova, A., Opetuk, T., & Cajner, H. (2025). Human Factors and Ergonomics in Industry 5.0—A Systematic Literature Review. Applied Sciences, 15(4), 2123. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15042123
Tseng, M.-L., Bui, T.-D., Lim, M. K., Fujii, M., & Mishra, U. (2022). Assessing data-driven sustainable supply chain management indicators for the textile industry under industrial disruption and ambidexterity. International Journal of Production Economics, 245, 108401. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2021.108401
Turnbull, E., Banyasz, D., Oliver, A., & Hade, B. (2023). No longer ‘once in a blue moon’: bluewashing risks and challenges can’t be ignored. https://www.allens.com.au/insights-news/insights/2023/07/bluewashing-risks-andchallenges/#anchor1
Wang, B., Zhou, H., Yang, G., Li, X., & Yang, H. (2022). Human Digital Twin (HDT) Driven Human-Cyber-Physical Systems: Key Technologies and Applications. Chinese Journal of Mechanical Engineering, 35(1), 11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s10033-022-00680-w
Watson, A., Alexander, B., & Salavati, L. (2020). The impact of experiential augmented reality applications on fashion purchase intention. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 48(5), 433-451. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-06-2017-0117
Yitmen, I., Almusaed, A., & Alizadehsalehi, S. (2023). Investigating the Causal Relationships among Enablers of the Construction 5.0 Paradigm: Integration of Operator 5.0 and Society 5.0 with Human-Centricity, Sustainability, and Resilience. Sustainability, 15(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/su15119105
Zafar, M. H., Langås, E. F., & Sanfilippo, F. (2024). Exploring the synergies between collaborative robotics, digital twins, augmentation, and industry 5.0 for smart manufacturing: A state-of-the-art review. Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, 89, 102769. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcim.2024.102769
Zhang, Y., & Liu, C. (2024). Unlocking the Potential of Artificial Intelligence in Fashion Design and E-Commerce Applications: The Case of Midjourney. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 19(1), 654-670. https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer19010035
Zhou, J., Zhou, Y., Wang, B., & Zang, J. (2019). Human–Cyber–Physical Systems (HCPSs) in the Context of New-Generation Intelligent Manufacturing. Engineering, 5(4), 624-636. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2019.07.015




