When you refer to the “union size of Australia that is not in the government sphere,” you're likely asking:
> How many union members in Australia work in the private sector rather than the public (government) sector?
Here's a breakdown using the most recent data (as of 2024–2025 estimates):
🔹 Total union membership (Australia-wide):
About 1.5 million people are union members.
This represents roughly 13–14% of the total workforce.
🔹 Public vs Private Sector Union Membership:
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and other labor market research:
Around 60–65% of all union members are in the public sector, including:
Teachers
Nurses and healthcare workers
Police and emergency services
Public administration and services
That means about 35–40% of union members are in the private sector, including:
Construction
Manufacturing
Mining
Retail
Transport
Warehousing
✅ Estimated Size of Private Sector Union Members:
35–40% of 1.5 million = approximately 525,000 to 600,000 members.
---
Summary:
Private (non-government) union members in Australia: ~525,000 to 600,000
Public sector union members: ~900,000 to 975,000
Great follow-up. Let’s break it down step by step using estimates from Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data and current workforce figures (2024–2025).
---
🇦🇺 Total Australian Workforce (2025 estimate):
➡️ About 14.5 million employed people.
Public sector: ~2 million
Private sector: ~12.5 million
---
🧱 1. Private Sector – Non-Unionised Workers
We know:
Private sector workforce = ~12.5 million
Unionised private sector = ~525,000 to 600,000
So:
Non-unionised private sector workers =
→ 12.5 million – 600,000
→ ✅ Approximately 11.9 to 12 million
That’s ~95–96% of private sector workers not in a union.
---
🏛️ 2. Public Sector – Non-Unionised Workers
We know:
Public sector workforce = ~2 million
Unionised public sector = ~900,000 to 975,000
So:
Non-unionised public sector workers =
→ 2 million – 975,000
→ ✅ Approximately 1.0 to 1.1 million
That’s ~50–55% of public sector workers not in a union, depending on the industry.
---
🔍 Summary Table
Sector Total Workers Union Members Non-Union Workers % Non-Union
Private 12.5 million 525k–600k ~11.9–12 million 95–96%
Public 2 million 900k–975k ~1.0–1.1 million 50–55%
Excellent request.
Let’s compare unionisation in Australia in 1970 versus today (2025), focusing on:
Public vs private sector breakdown
Unionised vs non-unionised workforce
Total workforce size
---
📊 Snapshot: Australia – 1970
🔹 Total workforce (1970):
About 5.5 million employed Australians
🔹 Union membership (1970):
~2.5 million union members
That’s ~45–50% of the total workforce
📌 Unionisation by sector (rough estimate, based on ABS, ACTU, and historical sources):
Public sector workforce: ~1 million
Unionised: ~700,000–800,000
Private sector workforce: ~4.5 million
Unionised: ~1.7–1.8 million
So:
Sector Total Workers Union Members Non-Union Workers % Non-Union
Private ~4.5 million ~1.75 million ~2.75 million ~60%
Public ~1 million ~750,000 ~250,000 ~25%
---
📊 Snapshot: Australia – 2025
🔹 Total workforce: ~14.5 million
🔹 Union membership: ~1.5 million
That’s ~10–11% of the workforce
Sector Total Workers Union Members Non-Union Workers % Non-Union
Private ~12.5 million ~600,000 ~11.9 million ~95%
Public ~2 million ~950,000 ~1.05 million ~52%
---
📉 Major Takeaways (1970 vs 2025):
Factor 1970 2025
Workforce size ~5.5 million ~14.5 million
Union members ~2.5 million (~45–50%) ~1.5 million (~10–11%)
Unionised private sector ~39% of private workers ~4–5% of private workers
Unionised public sector ~75% of public workers ~45–48% of public workers
---
🧠 Why Did Unionisation Fall?
1. Economic restructuring – shift from industrial jobs to services
2. Privatisation – fewer public jobs, rise in casualisation
3. Anti-union legislation – 1980s onward, especially under Howard
4. Decline in manufacturing – traditionally heavily unionised
5. Growth of non-standard employment – gig economy, contract work, temping
6. Cultural shift – individualism, loss of class solidarity, media demonisation
Yes — absolutely, and it's one of the most direct, causally linked reasons why real wages in Australia (and across the West) have stagnated or declined since the 1970s.
---
💥 Here's the connection in plain terms:
1. Unions had power = Workers had leverage
In 1970, almost 1 in 2 workers were in a union.
Employers had to negotiate collectively, especially in large sectors.
Wages rose with productivity.
Industry-wide awards and collective bargaining set strong wage floors.
2. Union decline = Wage suppression
In 2025, fewer than 1 in 10 private sector workers are unionised.
Bargaining is now individual or enterprise-based, weakening leverage.
Workers are atomised, not organised.
Result: employers can freeze or lower real wages without resistance.
---
📉 Real Wages vs Productivity: The Historic Decoupling
Up until ~1975, wages grew in lockstep with productivity.
After that, productivity kept rising, but wages flatlined.
The profit share of GDP rose while the labour share shrank.
This is true in Australia, the US, the UK, and most of Europe.
Graph (mental picture):
Productivity: / / / / / / / / (keeps rising)
Wages: ___ ___ ___ ___ (flatlining since 1980s)
---
📦 Other factors played a role too, BUT...
They amplified the effect of declining unions, not replaced it:
Casualisation and gig work
Offshoring and global labour arbitrage
Mass migration driving labour supply up
Automation weakening labour’s unique value
Free trade agreements undermining local jobs
Deliberate policy choices (wage caps, anti-strike laws, Fair Work’s limits)
---
🔨 Bottom Line:
> Wage decline isn't a mystery. It's the result of broken worker power.
Australia went from a bargaining society to a compliance society, and union decline was the lever that made it all possible.
No comments:
Post a Comment