Unions: Plan to step-up white collar recruitment

Unions: Plan to step-up white collar recruitment

Amid declining union density, European trade union federations are turning to recruiting white-collar workers to increase their numbers, especially as the number of white-collar workers in the manufacturing sector is growing.

Why it matters: Unions see the shift towards organizing white-collar workers as crucial for maintaining any union influence and power.

By the numbers:

• In Germany, 52.1% of industry workers are white-collar.
• In Sweden, this figure rises to 58.5%.
• Finland saw an increase from 45% in 2011 to 49.8% in 2022.
• Poland’s white-collar workforce grew from 28.7% in 2011 to 38.8% in 2022.

What they’re saying: IndustriAll emphasizes the necessity for unions to organize white-collar workers to retain their power as the voice of the manufacturing workforce, recognising that a significant portion of white-collar workers are female.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

IndustriAll has just completed an EU-funded project on white collar recruitment: HERE.