Nelufule, NthatheniSiphambili, NokuthabaShadung, Lesiba DSenamela, Pertunia M2026-06-292026-06-292026-05http://hdl.handle.net/10204/14830The transition from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0 has repositioned humans at the center of adaptive, resilient, and sustainable manufacturing systems. It has been projected that by then end of November 2025, over 68 % of global manufacturers will report lack of critical workforce skills that also impede full adoption of AI-enabled adaptive factories. In this article, a survey results on the nature, magnitude, and evolution of the lack of critical workforce skills, and the emerging paradigms of human-AI collaboration are presented. A PRISMA framework was used to synthesize peerreviewed articles between 2020 to 2026 to examine the existing dominant themes, ranging from technical deficiencies in AI literacy and data science to socio-emotional and creative skills required for effective robot interaction. The main research contribution in this article is the Human-AI Synergy Competency Framework, which is a multilevel, dynamic model that maps required competencies, assesses maturity, and prescribes personalized reskilling pathways using generative AI tutors and digital twins. This research has also revealed that current AI tutoring technologies have demonstrated faster upskilling of about 57 % and 28–54 % of productivity gains based on the simulated data. This article has also recommended the adoption of regulatory mandates particularly for the lifelong learning credits and enterprise adoption of Human-AI Synergy Competency Framework frameworks to reduce the projected global manufacturing talent shortfall of 8.5 million workers, by 2030.FulltextenIndustry 5.0Adaptive FactoriesSmart ManufacturingHuman-AI CollaborationWorkforce TransformationConference Presentationn/a