Trade union strategies to recruit new groups of workers - Netherlands

The decline in trade union membership has been an issue since the 1990s. Fewer men and young employees are joining trade unions, although female membership has increased. Declining membership rates are related to the rise in flexible jobs and the fall in employment in a number of industrial sectors which traditionally have had a high union density. Initiatives to attract new members target younger people, self-employed persons and - indirectly - migrant workers.