Publications

This Research Note presents new estimates of trade union membership derived for detailed geographical areas across Great Britain. Analysis reveals the wide variations in union density that exist both across the country and within particular regions.  Over the period 2000-2021, union density is shown to vary between 10% in Kensington and Chelsea to 54% in…

Different sources of data provide a generally consistent picture of downward trends in rates of trade union density, presence and coverage. Analysis however raises cause for concern regarding official estimates derived from the Labour Force Survey which underestimate the true extent to which unions are both present in the workplace and recognised by employers in…

The UK has experienced high levels of in-migration from all parts of the world over several decades. This Research Note presents new estimates of trade union membership among migrants in the UK. Levels of membership among migrants are lower than those employees who were born in the UK, although levels rise as time spent in…

Declining levels of trade union membership is often cited as evidence that trade unions have become less relevant within the modern UK economy. In 2012, particular attention was given to this issue as levels of union membership among TUC affiliated unions fell to beneath 6 million members for the first time.

Concerns regarding how the use of proxy respondents within the Labour Force Survey may affect the quality of official statistics on trade union membership data is not new. However, less attention has been given to interview mode. The analysis reveals that the mode through which an interview is conducted appears to be just as important…