The Belgian construction sector: growing practices of digitalization and the challenge of relevant social dialogue practices

Frédéric Naedenoen and Marine Franssen

Chapter 3 in Digital Transitions and Innovation in Construction Value Chains, 2023, pp 49-65 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter aims to present the influence of digitalization on the construction industry in Belgium. Based on a qualitative approach - documentary research, interviews with specialists and case studies - this text aims to introduce reader to the national specificities of the sector and to present the evolutions induced by digitalization and their impact on the construction companies in Belgium. This chapter also deals with the interaction between these evolutions and the social dialogue of the sector. The first section highlights the national situation by introducing the main characteristics of the sector, the specificities of its social dialogue, and the influence of digitalization on its development. The second section presents the results of three case studies we carried out across Belgian territory on different technologies used in the construction sector: robotic production lines (HouseSell), smart devices (Geneco) and BIM (Portcity). The analysis focuses on the interrelation of the technologies implemented in the companies with the organization of work, the working conditions and the industrial relations. In the conclusion, we focus on key learnings that can be drawn from the chapter on digitalization itself, on social dialogue and on work practices.

Keywords: Business and Management; Economics and Finance; Geography; Innovations and Technology; Sociology and Social Policy; Sustainable Development Goals; Urban and Regional Studies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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