According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, which lists the membership numbers of trade unions every two years, almost 422,000 people under the age of 45 are now members of a trade union. That is 47,000 more than in 2023. The number of members increased, especially in the 25-45 age category.
At the same time, the total number of people joining unions continued to decline. Members over the age of 45 in particular are canceling their membership. Sometimes this happens out of dissatisfaction with the rate or membership costs. Older people also more often think that a union is of little use to them. Another important reason is reaching retirement age.
More women
Half of trade union supporters are still over 45. Most of them, 868,000 in total, are men. The number of women who are members of a union has increased over the past two years. There are now 558 thousand, almost 9,000 more than two years ago.
FNV supporters mortify about future plans: ‘Soon we will have nothing more to say’
It is not clear from the CBS figures which union has how many members. When asked, spokespersons for the trade union De Unie and the CNV say that they have not noticed much of an influx of FNV members out of frustration about the crisis there that has been going on for months. According to insiders, FNV would have lost thousands of members as a result.
More young people
The CNV says in a response that the decline in the number of members has stopped. “For the first time in years, the inflow is higher than the outflow. The growth comes mainly from young people: we are growing by thousands of members under the age of 25-44. The influx among those under 25 is also higher than in previous years,” said CNV chairman Piet Fortuin.