How many workers belong to a trade union?
At the end of March 2021, 1.5 million people were members of a trade union. Trade union membership has not been this low since 1966. Over a two-year period, the number of men with a membership fell by 52 thousand (more than 5 percent) to 931 thousand (2021); the number of female union members fell by 7 percent to 573 thousand.
Three quarters of trade union members are 45 years or older; 22 percent of them are over the state pension age. The share of young union members (up to and including age 25) is low at 2.4 percent.
| Periode | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1.07 | 0.65 |
| 2017 | 1.05 | 0.65 |
| . | . | |
| 2019 | 0.98 | 0.62 |
| . | . | |
| 2021* | 0.93 | 0.57 |
| * Provisional figure | ||
| Leeftijd | Under 25 yrs | 25 to 44 yrs | 45 yrs to state pension age | State pension age and over |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 3.9 | 25.6 | 51.9 | 18.7 |
| 2019 | 2.9 | 25.5 | 54.1 | 17.6 |
| 2021* | 2.4 | 23.1 | 53 | 21.5 |
| * Provisional figure | ||||
Membership rate highest in education
According to the Netherlands Working Conditions Survey 2020, conducted by CBS and the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), 17.5 percent of all employees belong to a trade union: 18.9 percent of men and 16.1 percent of women. The membership rate was slightly lower in 2020 than in 2018 and 2019.
Among education workers, 31 percent are trade union members. The degree of organisation is also relatively high (30 percent) in public administration and in transportation and storage. At 6 percent, the sector information and communication has the lowest membership rate.
| Bedrijfstak | Trade union membership |
|---|---|
| Sector |
. |
| Education | 30.9 |
| Public administration and public services |
30.4 |
| Transportation and storage | 29.8 |
| Construction | 22.8 |
| Health and welfare | 21 |
| Manufacturing | 21 |
| Culture, sports and recreation, and other services |
14.1 |
| Accommodation and food services | 10.5 |
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing |
10.2 |
| Financial services | 9.8 |
| Trade | 9.5 |
| Business services and real estate activities |
9.3 |
| Information and communication |
6.2 |
The questions
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