Skip to main content

Kōrero: Unions and employee organisations

Percentage of union members

Image
Percentage of union members

Union membership in New Zealand has never reached 50% of the paid workforce, although it came close to that figure in the late 1980s. The rate of membership dropped sharply to under 20% when the Employment Contracts Act was passed in 1991.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Source: Statistics New Zealand; Department of Labour

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Erik Olssen, Unions and employee organisations – Reviving the unions, 1890–1913, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/graph/22264/percentage-of-union-members (accessed 25 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Erik Olssen, i tāngia i te 4 February 2010.