Labour market segmentation and mobility as determinants of trade union membership: A study from Denmark

Abstract

This article analyses if and to what extent labour market segmentation and labour market mobility influence trade union density. Some industries and sectors have stable employment domains and employees stay to a high degree within the industry even if they change jobs. Other industries and sectors have more unstable employments domains and employees to a higher degree shift to employment in other industries and sectors when they move to another job. In this article, it is analysed how differences in segmentation and employee mobility out of an industry influence union density. The analysis is based on a statistical analysis of registry data from Denmark and contains almost 2 million employees employed in 111 different industries (NACE-coded). The analysis shows that trade union density especially in the private sector industries is significantly influenced by level of segmentation and level of mobility.

Financialisation, shareholder value orientation, and the decline of trade union membership in the EU

“…The relevant literature also shows that another crucial factor in the steep decline in unionisation rates has been de-industrialisation. Because of this structural shift a large portion of the workforce has shifted from highly unionised manufacturing/industrial sectors to low union density occupations in services and even (sometimes bogus) self-employment (Blaschke, 2000; Jensen, 2020; Polachek, 2004; Schnabel, 2013). In addition, fiscal adjustment programmes implemented across advanced and developed economies include job cuts in the public sector, which traditionally is a high union density sector (Checchi and Visser, 2005; Schnabel, 2003; Visser, 2002).…”

The influence of the political attitudes of workers and the effect of the Great Recession on the decision to join a trade union in Southern Europe

“…Standard employment (full-time employees with a permanent contract) favours unionisation, while atypical employment has a negative effect (Blanchflower, 2007; Ebbinghaus et al, 2011). The segmentation of the labour market and a high rotation of workers also reduce unionisation (Jensen, 2020). Thus, precarious work is a strong driver of de-unionisation, since it affects peripheral workers or outsiders with less incentives to join unions (Kalleberg, 2009).…”

Young Workers in Transition: Explaining the Density Gap by a Life-course Perspective

“…At the same time, it is true that young people's entry into the labor market often takes place in industries that are characterized by a low degree of unionization, low collective agreement coverage, and changeable and short-term employment relationships (Cieslik & Simpson 2013;Scheuer 2015;Simms et al 2018). Jensen (2020) points out that sectors with high labor turn over are harder to unionize. From the individual perspective, a possible explanation is that the motivation for trade union membership is low due to the short period of employment.…”