RESEARCH PAPER SERIES, 2018–19              15 October 2018

Trends in union membership in Australia

Geoff Gilfillan and Chris McGann

Statistics and Mapping Section

Executive summary

•        The number of union members in Australia has declined from around 2.5 million in 1976 to 1.5 million in 2016. During the same period the union member share of all employees (or union density) has fallen from 51 per cent to 14 per cent.

•        Young workers are much less likely to be union members than older workers and casual and/or part-time employees are less likely to be union members than full-time workers and permanent employees.

•        Industry union density is strongest in Education and training and Public administration and safety.

•        The biggest increases in union membership over the last decade and a half were recorded by the Police Federation of Australia (PFA) (up 92 per cent), Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) (up 84 per cent), and Independent Education Union of Australia (IEUA) (up 35 per cent).

Introduction

This statistical snapshot outlines the decline in union membership in Australia over the past forty years using the latest data available and considers possible reasons for the decline.

Union membership in Australia has been falling steadily over the past four decades. There were just over 1.5 million union members in 2016, compared with just over 2.5 million in 1976. This represents a decline of around 1 million union members or 38 per cent. During the same period union density (the union member share of total employment) has fallen from 51 per cent to 14 per cent.

Figure 1—trends in level of union membership and union density—1976 to 2016

Sources: 1976–1993: ABS, Trade Union Members, cat. no. 6325.0; 1994–2013: ABS, Employee Earnings Benefits and Trade Union Membership, cat. no. 6310.0; 2014–2016: ABS, Characteristics of Employment, cat. no. 6333.0[1]

Reasons for decline in union membership

Union membership has been declining in Australia for a number of reasons including:

•        steady decline in employment in industries that traditionally had high concentrations of union membership—such as large scale car manufacturing; printing; and textile, clothing and footwear—due to economic re-structuring[2] and the transition to new forms of media

•        the collapse of compulsory unionism (or closed shops) in Australia during the 1980s and 1990s. Under the federal Workplace Relations Act 1996, union preference and compulsory unionism was made illegal both for employees covered by the federal system and for those outside but within reach of other Commonwealth powers[3]. Similar legislative changes prohibiting compulsory unionisation were enacted by state governments[4].

•        decreasing prevalence of union members in industries that previously had a much stronger union member presence (including in Manufacturing and Transport, postal and warehousing)[5].

•        strong growth in employment in service industries that have traditionally had relatively low union presence such as Retail trade and Accommodation and food services[6]

•        growth in part-time and/or casual employment across most industries and occupations and relative decline in the permanent and full-time employment share of total employment. The following section of this report shows part-time and/or casual employees are less likely to be union members.

Hours worked and access to leave entitlements

Table 1 shows part–time and/or casual employees (or employees without access to leave entitlements) are less likely to become union members and increasing use of this employee type by employers across a range of industries has contributed to the lowering of overall union density.

Table 1—union density by employee type—August 2016

Full–time employees

Part–time employees

All employees

With paid leave

Without paid leave

With paid leave

Without paid leave

With paid leave

Without paid leave

Union members (‘000)

1150.2

52.7

338.2

86.3

1488.4

139.0

Not a union member (‘000)

4501.2

633.1

1115.8

1580.5

5617.0

2213.6

Did not know (‘000)

274.8

58.9

54.8

75.2

329.6

134.1

Total (‘000)

5926.1

744.2

1506.9

1743.5

7433.0

2487.7

% union members

19.4

7.1

22.4

4.9

20.0

5.6

Source: ABS, Characteristics of Employment, cat. no. 6333.0, using TableBuilder (Note: Discrepancies may occur between sums of the component items and totals shown in the table)

Around 15 per cent of all full–time employees in August 2016 were union members compared with 11 per cent of all part–time employees. Twenty per cent of permanent employees (with leave entitlements) were union members in August 2016 compared with only six per cent of casual employees (without leave entitlements).

Age and sex

ABS data shows union density among employed males has fallen from 43 per cent in 1992 to 13 per cent in 2016 while union density for employed women has fallen from 35 per cent to 16 per cent. The slightly higher proportion of female union members than men is due partly to their concentration in industries and occupations that are more likely to be unionised such as nursing and teaching.

Younger workers are much less likely to be union members than older workers. Just over six per cent of employees aged 15 to 24 years were union members compared with 13 per cent of employees aged 25 to 44 years and 19 per cent of employees aged 45 to 64 years. One of the major reasons for lower union membership among young people is they are much more likely to be working on a casual and/or part–time basis compared to older workers. ABS data shows around 57 per cent of employees aged 15 to 24 years work part-time compared with 25 per cent of employees aged 25 to 44 years and 29 per cent of employees aged 45 to 64 years. The data also show 55 per cent of employees aged 15 to 24 years were casual employees compared with 19 per cent of employees aged 25 to 44 years and 17 per cent of employees aged 45 to 64 years.

Industry

Table 2 shows changes in union density by industry from 1994 to 2016.

Table 2—union density (%) by industry [7]—various years from 1994 to 2016

1994

2000

2010

2016

Agriculture, forestry and fishing

12.3

5.4

1.9

1.9

Mining

44.6

32.3

21.3

17.7

Manufacturing

40.8

31.1

17.8

13.3

Electricity, gas, water and waste services

66.4

53.2

37.3

26.3

Construction

34.1

26.4

16.8

10.1

Wholesale trade

14.6

10.4

5.7

5.0

Retail trade

23.3

17.7

15.4

11.4

Transport, postal and warehousing

51.9

36.4

28.8

20.6

Accommodation and food services

19.3

10.3

4.4

2.4

Public administration and safety

54.7

38.1

33.0

32.1

Education and training

56.1

44.1

39.2

32.5

Health care and social assistance

37.0

32.3

26.5

22.2

Arts and recreation services

23.8

17.1

15.5

8.5

TOTAL

35.0

24.7

18.3

13.9

Sources: 1994, 2000 and 2010: ABS, Employee Earnings Benefits and Trade Union Membership, cat. no. 6310.0; 2016: ABS, Characteristics of Employment, cat. no. 6333.0

Union density has declined in the past twenty years in a number of industries that previously had strong union representation such as Mining, Manufacturing, and Construction. While union density has fallen in public sector dominated industries such as Public administration and safety, Education and training, and Health care and social assistance, the extent of the decline is smaller.

Specific union membership

Table 3 shows trends in membership for some of the larger individual unions for 2003 and 2017.

Table 3—change in union membership levels for specific unions—2003 and 2017

Union

Dec 2003

Dec 2017

Number change — 2003 to 2017

% change — 2003 to 2017

Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF)

136,347

250,959

114,612

84.1

Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees Association (SDAEA)

217,018

213,127

-3,891

-1.8

Australian Education Union (AEU)

161,788

191,262

29,474

18.2

Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMMEU)

103,000

132,708

29,708

28.8

Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU)

171,582

125,720

-45,862

-26.7

Australian Services Union (ASU)

119,769

121,496

1,727

1.4

Communications Electrical Plumbing Union (CEPU)

131,044

101,711

-29,333

-22.4

United Voice (UV)

130,625

100,554

-30,071

-23.0

Transport Workers' Union of Australia (TWU)

81,496

68,904

-12,592

-15.5

Health Services Union (HSU)

65,972

79,004

13,032

19.8

Independent Education Union of Australia (IEUA)

56,096

75,852

19,756

35.2

The Australian Workers' Union (AWU)

121,537

69,786

-51,751

-42.6

Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union (AMWU)

141,544

68,008

-73,536

-52.0

Police Federation of Australia (PFA)

32,252

61,811

29,559

91.7

Finance Sector Union of Australia (FSU)

57,193

30,676

-26,517

-46.4

Australian Rail, Tram and Bus Industry Union (ARTBIU)

31,529

30,426

-1,103

-3.5

National Tertiary Education Industry Union (NTEU)

26,879

27,937

1,058

3.9

Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers, Australia (APESMA)

24,690

17,287

-7,403

-30.0

Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA)

20,700

14,198

-6,502

-31.4

Maritime Union of Australia, The (MUA) 

10,190

12,485

2,295

22.5

Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia (TCFUA)

12,215

3,014

-9,201

-75.3

Source: Registered Organisation Commission

The biggest increases in union membership recorded between December 2003 and December 2017 were for the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) (up 114,612 or 84 per cent), CFMMEU (up 29,708 or 29 per cent), the Police Federation of Australia (PFA) (up 29,559 or 92 per cent), and the Australian Education Union (AEU) (up 29,474 or 18 per cent). Some of the increase in union membership for some unions may have been due to union amalgamations.

The biggest falls recorded in union membership were for the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union (AMWU) (down 73,536 or 52 per cent), Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) (down 51,751 or 42.6 per cent) and Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) (down 45,862 or 27 per cent). The National Union of Workers (NUW) reported they had 69,447 members in December 2017 but did not report a figure for December 2003.

International trends

Table 4 shows results for union density for a range of members of the Organisation of Economic Co–operation and Development (OECD) using data from national surveys as well as administrative datasets provided by union confederations or other sources.

Table 4—union density in selected OECD countries—1980 to 2016 (per cent of employees)

Country

Source

1980

1990

2000

2010

2016

Australia

Admin data

49.6

45.4

na

na

14.6

Survey data

na

40.5

24.7

18.3

14.5

Canada

Admin data

34

34

31.2

30.1

na

Survey data

na

33.4

28.2

27.2

26.3

France

Admin data

18.3

9.8

8.0

8.0

na

Survey data

na

na

10.5

10.8

na

Netherlands

Admin data

34.8

24.6

22.6

19.3

17.3

Survey data

na

na

22.9

18.6

na

New Zealand

Admin data

69.1

49.6

22.4

21.4

17.7

Survey data

na

na

na

na

18.3

Norway

Admin data

57.9

58.5

54.1

53.6

na

Survey data

na

na

na

na

52

Sweden

Admin data

78

81.5

80.1

69.3

na

Survey data

na

80.1

79.0

68.2

66.7

United Kingdom

Admin data

52.2

39.6

29.7

26.8

23.7

Survey data

na

na

29.8

26.6

23.5

United States

Admin data

22.1

na

na

na

na

Survey data

22.3

15.5

12.9

11.4

10.3

Source: OECDStats; na—not available

Declining union membership is occurring across the (OECD) with large falls in density recorded in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands between 1980 and 2016. Nordic countries such as Sweden and Norway continue to retain relatively high rates of union membership.

Around 80 million workers across a range of OECD countries were union members in 2017. Across the OECD, 17 per cent of all employees were members of unions in 2017—down from 30 per cent in 1985. Slight increases in membership rates were found only in Iceland, Belgium and Spain.

Union members in the OECD tend to be predominantly male, middle–aged (between 25 and 54 years old), with medium or high skills, and working in medium or large firms, and on a permanent contract.

•        Around seven per cent of young people aged 15 to 24 years across the OECD were union members, along with 18 per cent of workers aged 25 to 54 years and just over 22 per cent of workers aged 55 to 64 years.

•        Only seven per cent of employees in small firms belong to a union on average across OECD countries compared with 16 per cent of employees in medium–sized firms and 26 per cent of employees in large firms.

Workers employed in public administration are much more likely to be unionised than workers in other industries but only account for 13 per cent of all union members across the OECD.

The OECD found:

The union membership rate is above 50 per cent only in the countries where unemployment benefits are administered by union-affiliated institutions (sometimes called the “Ghent system”—as found in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden and partly Belgium) and in Norway. However, even the Ghent system has been increasingly challenged and eroded by the development of private insurance funds offering unemployment insurance without requiring union membership leading to a decrease in union density.[8]

The OECD concluded:

Technological and organisational changes, the decline of the manufacturing and public sectors, but also the increasing spread of flexible forms of contracts and policy reforms in several countries are among the main drivers behind this marked decline of union density in almost all OECD and accession countries.[9]

The collapse of centralised planning in some Central and Eastern European countries has also contributed to falling unionisation rates.

Conclusion

Union membership has been declining gradually across the Australian economy over the past four decades, largely as a result of structural factors that have affected employment in various industries, along with the increased use of more flexible forms of employment. However, a number of unions have managed to either preserve or increase their membership despite these challenges—particularly those engaged in health care and social assistance, education and protective services.

Declining union membership has been a common characteristic of many industrialised OECD countries. The level of union membership in Australia could continue to face further challenges in the future, as the use of more flexible forms of employment has become firmly entrenched in some industries, while becoming more prevalent in others.

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[1].              The ABS releases union membership data every two years with 2018 data likely to be available in early 2019.

[2]               Peetz, D., Unions in a Contrary World (1998), p. 66

[3]               Peetz, D., op cit, p. 87

[4]               Peetz, D., The Paradigm Shift in Union Membership: The Case of Compulsory Unionism (1997), p. 297

[5]               ABS, Employee, Earnings, Benefits and Trade Union Membership (cat. no. 6310.0) and ABS, Characteristics of Employment (cat. no. 6333.0)

[6]               ABS, Labour Force, Australia, Detailed, Quarterly, cat. no. 6291.0.55.003, Table EQ05

[7].               Does not include Finance and insurance; Rental, hiring and real estate services; and Professional, scientific and technical services due to the difficulties in comparing 2016) industry classifications with previous industry classifications.

[8].              OECD, Employment Outlook 2017, p. 133.

[9].               Op. cit.