Trade union membership

Latest release

Trade union membership by employment and socio-demographic characteristics such as full-time/part-time, age, industry, occupation, education, earnings

Reference period

August 2024

Released

9/12/2024

Next release Unknown

Key statistics

In August 2024:

13.1% of employees (1.6 million) were trade union members in their main job, an increase on the 12.5% recorded in August 2022.
Trade union membership was slightly more common amongst women (14%) than men (12%).
The Education and training industry (27%) and the Professionals occupation group (20%) had the highest rates of trade union membership.
Since 1992, the proportion of employees who were trade union members has fallen from 40%.

Trade union membership over time

Of the 12.1 million employees in August 2024, 1.6 million (13.1%) were a member of a trade union in their main job, which is an increase from August 2022 (12.5%). This is the first increase in the rate of trade union membership since 2011.

Trade union membership has generally declined since 1992. From 1992 to 2024, the proportion of employees who were trade union members has fallen from 40% to 13% (from 43% to 12% for men and 35% to 14% for women).

Trade union membership was more common amongst full-time employees (14%) than part-time employees (11%).

Trade union membership tends to increase with age. In August 2024 only 3.7% of employees aged 15-19 years and 7.3% aged 20-24 were trade union members. This increased to 21% for employees aged 60-64 and 20% for employees aged 55-59 and 65-69.

Trade union membership by sex - 1976 to 2022
	Men (pre-2004) (%)	Women (pre-2004) (%)	Persons (pre-2004) (%)	Men (2004+) (%)	Women (2004+) (%)	Persons (2004+) (%)
1976	56.0	43.0	51.0
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982	53.4	43.2	49.5
1983
1984
1985
1986	50.1	39.1	45.6
1987
1988	46.3	35.0	41.6
1989
1990	45.0	34.6	40.5
1991
1992	43.4	34.8	39.6
1993	40.9	33.5	37.6
1994	37.9	31.3	35.0
1995	35.7	29.1	32.7
1996	33.5	28.1	31.1
1997	33.0	26.9	30.3
1998	30.0	25.8	28.1
1999	27.7	23.4	25.7
2000	26.3	22.8	24.7
2001	26.0	22.7	24.5
2002	24.5	21.5	23.1
2003	24.1	21.8	23.0
2004				25.4	22.7	24.1
2005				25.5	22.2	23.9
2006				23.0	20.2	21.7
2007				21.1	18.9	20.0
2008				20.3	19.5	19.9
2009				21.6	20.1	20.9
2010				19.4	19.7	19.5
2011				20.0	19.1	19.6
2012				19.0	19.8	19.4
2013				17.7	18.6	18.1
2014				15.9	16.6	16.3
2015
2016				14.7	16.8	15.7
2017
2018				13.9	15.5	14.7
2019
2020				12.8	16.1	14.5
2021
2022				11.4	13.7	12.5
2023
2024				12.0	14.1	13.1

Trade union membership by sex - 1976 to 2022

["","Men (pre-2004)","Women (pre-2004)","Persons (pre-2004)","Men (2004+)","Women (2004+)","Persons (2004+)"]

[["1976","1977","1978","1979","1980","1981","1982","1983","1984","1985","1986","1987","1988","1989","1990","1991","1992","1993","1994","1995","1996","1997","1998","1999","2000","2001","2002","2003","2004","2005","2006","2007","2008","2009","2010","2011","2012","2013","2014","2015","2016","2017","2018","2019","2020","2021","2022","2023","2024"],[[56],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[53.399999999999999],[null],[null],[null],[50.100000000000001],[null],[46.299999999999997],[null],[45],[null],[43.399999999999999],[40.899999999999999],[37.899999999999999],[35.700000000000003],[33.5],[33],[30],[27.699999999999999],[26.300000000000001],[26],[24.5],[24.100000000000001],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null]],[[43],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[43.200000000000003],[null],[null],[null],[39.100000000000001],[null],[35],[null],[34.600000000000001],[null],[34.799999999999997],[33.5],[31.300000000000001],[29.100000000000001],[28.100000000000001],[26.899999999999999],[25.800000000000001],[23.399999999999999],[22.800000000000001],[22.699999999999999],[21.5],[21.800000000000001],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null]],[[51],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[49.5],[null],[null],[null],[45.600000000000001],[null],[41.600000000000001],[null],[40.5],[null],[39.600000000000001],[37.600000000000001],[35],[32.700000000000003],[31.100000000000001],[30.300000000000001],[28.100000000000001],[25.699999999999999],[24.699999999999999],[24.5],[23.100000000000001],[23],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null]],[[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[25.399999999999999],[25.5],[23],[21.100000000000001],[20.300000000000001],[21.600000000000001],[19.399999999999999],[20],[19],[17.699999999999999],[15.9],[null],[14.699999999999999],[null],[13.9],[null],[12.800000000000001],[null],[11.4],[null],[12]],[[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[22.699999999999999],[22.199999999999999],[20.199999999999999],[18.899999999999999],[19.5],[20.100000000000001],[19.699999999999999],[19.100000000000001],[19.800000000000001],[18.600000000000001],[16.600000000000001],[null],[16.800000000000001],[null],[15.5],[null],[16.100000000000001],[null],[13.699999999999999],[null],[14.1]],[[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[24.100000000000001],[23.899999999999999],[21.699999999999999],[20],[19.899999999999999],[20.899999999999999],[19.5],[19.600000000000001],[19.399999999999999],[18.100000000000001],[16.300000000000001],[null],[15.699999999999999],[null],[14.699999999999999],[null],[14.5],[null],[12.5],[null],[13.1]]]

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Data for 1976-1988 sourced from Trade Union Members.

Duration of trade union membership

The majority of employees who were trade union members in August 2024 had been a trade union member for 5 years or more (66%).

Duration of trade union membership
	Fewer than 5 years ('000)	5 years or more ('000)	Total ('000)
Males	241.7	484.6	726.3
Females	297.7	555.6	853.3
Persons	539.4	1,040.2	1,579.6

Occupation

The occupations which recorded the highest proportion of employees who were trade union members were:

Professionals (20%)
Community and Personal Service Workers (16%)
Machinery operators and drivers (16%)

Trade union membership, by occupation and skill level
	Aug-14 (%)	Aug-24 (%)
Professionals	23.5	19.8
Community and Personal Service Workers	18.4	16.4
Machinery Operators and Drivers	22.6	15.9
Technicians and Trades Workers	15.2	13.0
Labourers	17.1	9.8
Clerical and Administrative Workers	11.4	7.9
Managers	8.0	6.3
Sales Workers	10.0	5.9

Skill level 1	20.2	16.9
Skill level 2	12.9	12.4
Skill level 3	15.3	12.4
Skill level 4	15.6	11.3
Skill level 5	13.5	8.6

Trade union membership, by occupation and skill level

["","Aug-14","Aug-24"]

[["Professionals","Community and Personal Service Workers","Machinery Operators and Drivers","Technicians and Trades Workers","Labourers","Clerical and Administrative Workers","Managers","Sales Workers","","Skill level 1","Skill level 2","Skill level 3","Skill level 4","Skill level 5"],[[23.5],[18.399999999999999],[22.600000000000001],[15.199999999999999],[17.100000000000001],[11.4],[8],[10],[null],[20.199999999999999],[12.9],[15.300000000000001],[15.6],[13.5]],[[19.800000000000001],[16.399999999999999],[15.9],[13],[9.8000000000000007],[7.9000000000000004],[6.2999999999999998],[5.9000000000000004],[null],[16.899999999999999],[12.4],[12.4],[11.300000000000001],[8.5999999999999996]]]

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Data is coded to ANZSCO ver 1.2. For more information on Occupations and Skill level, refer to ANZSCO - Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations

Industry

The industries with the highest proportion of employees who were trade union members were:

Education and training (27%)
Public administration and safety (23%)
Health care and social assistance (23%)

Trade union membership, by industry
	Aug-14 (%)	Aug-24 (%)
Education and Training	36.5	27.2
Public Administration and Safety	31.3	23.1
Health Care and Social Assistance	23.9	23.0
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services	33.2	20.2
Transport, Postal and Warehousing	23.8	20.2
Construction	15.2	11.7
Mining	13.9	9.5
Manufacturing	14.0	9.0
Arts and Recreation Services	8.0	8.0
Information Media and Telecommunications	13.0	7.1
Retail Trade	12.0	7.0
Other Services	6.4	5.9
Financial and Insurance Services	8.0	4.9
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services	3.1	3.6
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services	3.4	3.0
Wholesale Trade	4.1	2.5
Accommodation and Food Services	2.7	2.3
Administrative and Support Services	7.9	2.3
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing	3.8	0.1

Trade union membership, by industry

["","Aug-14","Aug-24"]

[["Education and Training","Public Administration and Safety","Health Care and Social Assistance","Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services","Transport, Postal and Warehousing","Construction","Mining","Manufacturing","Arts and Recreation Services","Information Media and Telecommunications","Retail Trade","Other Services","Financial and Insurance Services","Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services","Professional, Scientific and Technical Services","Wholesale Trade","Accommodation and Food Services","Administrative and Support Services","Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing"],[[36.5],[31.300000000000001],[23.899999999999999],[33.200000000000003],[23.800000000000001],[15.199999999999999],[13.9],[14],[8],[13],[12],[6.4000000000000004],[8],[3.1000000000000001],[3.3999999999999999],[4.0999999999999996],[2.7000000000000002],[7.9000000000000004],[3.7999999999999998]],[[27.199999999999999],[23.100000000000001],[23],[20.199999999999999],[20.199999999999999],[11.699999999999999],[9.5],[9],[8],[7.0999999999999996],[7],[5.9000000000000004],[4.9000000000000004],[3.6000000000000001],[3],[2.5],[2.2999999999999998],[2.2999999999999998],[0.10000000000000001]]]

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For more information on Industries, refer to Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC)

Educational attainment

Trade union membership was considerably more prevalent for employed people with a Graduate diploma or Graduate certificate (24%), than for other qualifications. Trade union membership was lowest amongst those without non-school qualifications (8%).

Trade union membership, by educational attainment
	Aug-22 (%)	Aug-24 (%)
Postgraduate degree	12.0	14.1
Graduate diploma/Graduate certificate	23.4	24.4
Bachelor degree	15.1	15.4
Advanced diploma/Diploma	13.9	13.9
Certificate III/IV	14.0	15.1
Certificate I/II and Other	10.7	13.7
No non-school qualifications	8.3	7.9

Trade union membership, by educational attainment

["","Aug-22","Aug-24"]

[["Postgraduate degree","Graduate diploma\/Graduate certificate","Bachelor degree","Advanced diploma\/Diploma","Certificate III\/IV","Certificate I\/II and Other","No non-school qualifications"],[[12],[23.399999999999999],[15.1],[13.9],[14],[10.699999999999999],[8.3000000000000007]],[[14.1],[24.399999999999999],[15.4],[13.9],[15.1],[13.699999999999999],[7.9000000000000004]]]

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For more information on educational attainment, refer to Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED)

States and territories

Tasmania had the highest proportion (19%) of employees who were trade union members, while Western Australia had the lowest (12%).

Trade union membership, by state and territory
	Aug-14 (%)	Aug-24 (%)
Tasmania	25.2	18.7
South Australia	16.9	14.6
Northern Territory	18.6	14
Victoria	16.5	13.3
New South Wales	16.6	13
Queensland	15.6	12.7
Australian Capital Territory	17.2	12
Western Australia	13.8	11.8

Trade union membership, by state and territory

["","Aug-14","Aug-24"]

[["Tasmania","South Australia","Northern Territory","Victoria","New South Wales","Queensland","Australian Capital Territory","Western Australia"],[[25.199999999999999],[16.899999999999999],[18.600000000000001],[16.5],[16.600000000000001],[15.6],[17.199999999999999],[13.800000000000001]],[[18.699999999999999],[14.6],[14],[13.300000000000001],[13],[12.699999999999999],[12],[11.800000000000001]]]

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Earnings

The median weekly earnings in main job for employees who were trade union members in their main job was $1,600 per week, compared with $1,349 for employees who were not a trade union member.

Median weekly earnings in main job, by trade union membership in main job
	Trade union member ($)	Not a trade union member ($)
All employees	1,600	1,349
Managers	2,250	2,115
Professionals	1,850	1,821
Technicians and trade workers	1,750	1,400
Community and personal service workers	1,284	863
Clerical and administrative workers	1,487	1,288
Sales workers	700	700
Machinery operators and drivers	1,578	1,300
Labourers	1,250	850

Median weekly earnings in main job, by trade union membership in main job

["","Trade union member","Not a trade union member"]

[["All employees","Managers","Professionals","Technicians and trade workers","Community and personal service workers","Clerical and administrative workers","Sales workers","Machinery operators and drivers","Labourers"],[[1600],[2250],[1850],[1750],[1284],[1487],[700],[1578],[1250]],[[1349],[2115],[1821],[1400],[863],[1288],[700],[1300],[850]]]

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Job characteristics

Of employees who were trade union members, only 6% did not have paid leave entitlements.

Trade union membership, by job characteristics
	Trade union member in main job		Not a trade union member in main job		Total employees
	'000	%	'000	%	'000	%
Without paid leave entitlements	99.7	6%	2,245.4	23%	2,610.0	22%
Less than 12 months in main job	167.9	11%	2,131.6	22%	2,509.8	21%
Does not expect to remain in main job for next 12 months	117.5	7%	1,018.6	11%	1,210.3	10%
Not guaranteed a minimum number of weekly hours	133.0	8%	1,874.6	20%	2,180.5	18%

Total employees also includes persons who stated that they 'did not know' whether they were a Trade union member.

Data downloads

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Trade union membership

Data files

Table 1 - Median earnings by full-time or part-time, state and trade union members in main job
Download xlsx [220.17 KB]
Table 2 - Median earnings for employees by trade union membership
Download xlsx [3.3 MB]
Table 3 - Median earnings for employees by duration (length) of current trade union membership
Download xlsx [1.18 MB]

Microdata and TableBuilder

August 2024 Characteristics of Employment data will be released in Tablebuilder and microdata in ABS DataLab (as a supplementary file for the Longitudinal Labour Force (LLFS) microdata) on 19 December 2024. For more information, refer to Microdata and TableBuilder: Characteristics of Employment.

Previous catalogue number

This release uses ABS catalogue number 6335.0.

Methodology

Characteristics of Employment, Australia methodology, August 2024

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Trade union membership

APA

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Key statistics

Other topics

Trade union membership over time

Duration of trade union membership

Occupation

Industry

Educational attainment

States and territories

Earnings

Job characteristics

Data downloads

Trade union membership

Table 1 - Median earnings by full-time or part-time, state and trade union members in main job

Table 2 - Median earnings for employees by trade union membership

Table 3 - Median earnings for employees by duration (length) of current trade union membership

Microdata and TableBuilder

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Methodology

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