Table 13.10 shows the trend in trades union membership since 1989. The decline in union density has been especially marked among male employees, manual employees and those in production areas, where it has traditionally been higher. Union density varies a great deal between industries, the lowest is 5 per cent in hotels and restaurants and the highest is 65 per cent in education. The decline in membership is due to many factors including:
● structural change in the UK economy which has led to a decline in the number of manufacturing jobs (traditionally highly unionised) and a growth in the service sector (traditionally less unionised);
● the number of women in the workforce who are less likely to join a trade union;
● the fact that young workers are not joining trades unions – the average age of trade unionists is 45 years while the average age of the workforce is 31 years;
● a growth in the number of part-time jobs where the incidence of trade union membership is lower;
● anti-trade-union legislation enforced during the 1980s (see next section)