A new study by the German Institute of Economic Research (IW) reveals that Belgium between 2016 and 2023 the percentage of people in employment that are a member of a trade union fell more sharply than in any of the 14 European countries it surveyed.
IW looked at the percentage of employed people that are union members. Union members that are unemployed or retired are not included in IW’s figure. In 13 of the 14 countries looked at in the study the percentage of employed people that are union members fell. Austria was the only country where the percentage of trade union members among those in employment rose (from 28.7% in 2016 to 32.1% in 2023.
Meanwhile, Belgium saw the sharpest fall with union membership dropping from 52.4% 2016 to 39% in 2023. The rate remains higher in manufacturing industry (54.2%) than in the case in service industries (35%).
Despite the fall in union membership, Belgium still ranks fourth among the countries surveyed. Only Sweden (72.3%), Finland (67.8%) and Norway (57.5%) have a greater proportion of employees that are union members. The lowest percentages of union membership were recorded in Hungary (5.6%), Poland (7.8%), and France (9.1%).
Difficulty attracting young members
IW says that one of the main reasons for the decline in union membership is the unions' difficulty in attracting younger members.
Here in Belgium just 24.5% of 16- to 30-year-olds are union members. This is 39.8% among 31- to 50-year-olds and 47.4% among 51- to 65-year-olds.