Young workers are leading the charge in union membership
In their media release Thursday 27 February, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) noted that union membership had grown by 12.5 percent from 2022 to 2024, and young workers are leading the charge.
Union membership now stands at 1.58 million, up from 1.4 million, based on ABS data showing the biggest increase in union membership since the ABS collected this data.
The largest union growth was among workers aged 15-24 years (up 53 per cent) followed by workers aged 25-34 (up 22 per cent). This has skewed the median age of the typical union member from 46 years to 44 years old.
Workers aged 18-29 are also the most likely age group to say they intend to join their union in the next 12 months, according to separate Australian Unions’ research.
With membership growth of 12.5 per cent now outpacing the general growth in employment at 7.7 per cent, union density has lifted from 12.5 per cent to 13.1 per cent.
Women continue to make up the majority of union members – at 54.1 per cent of the movement – but the gap with men has narrowed slightly, closing by 0.5 per cent.”
We note that in the IEU(SA), women union membership is closer to 73% as education is a highly feminised industry.
ACTU Secretary Sally McManus said: “We have seen a very significant rise in union membership the last two years – the largest in two generations – and it has been driven by young people. Young workers know that they need to band together to have the power to change the status quo because the status quo has been growing inequality. They will want to shake things up, and that’s a good thing.”
IEU(SA) and the AEU(SA) – the union for department schools – have recognised the potential of working collaboratively as unions to engage Pre-service Teachers and potential Pre-service Teachers through staffed display booths, student talks and shared promotion on university campuses; including during O’Weeks.
As a result of this collaboration, we have seen over 80 new student members directly join both unions in 2024 and nearly 30 so far in 2025; a vital step in introducing the benefits and collective power of member voices to new educators.
With the federal election now called for May 3, the young vote is crucial for political parties as Collin, Dastyaari, Everitt Hartup and Hugman note in their article for The Conversation – What do young people want to see in politics?
Collin et al note: “This election will be the first in which Gen Z and Millennial voters (aged 18–40) will outnumber Baby Boomers (aged 60–79). Many of these young people were in high school during the previous two elections.
While there are concerns about the effectiveness of civics and citizenship education, there is also evidence young people are interested in, and active on, many issues”.
“Young people see intergenerational justice and social justice as interconnected, demanding climate action, economic opportunity and democratic participation. Their concerns reflect a commitment to human rights including refugee rights, gender equality and Indigenous justice.
Young people want to trust and have more of a role in Australian democracy. They want those in power, and the institutions and agencies over which they preside, to be more transparent, to communicate regularly and honestly, and to show how they are taking action for a better future for all generations”.
As a union, we understand the importance of what young people are saying regarding social justice. Unions actively pursue change to make communities and societies fairer and better.
This alignment of values may be a pathway for more young people to follow and join their union and be active for change.
If you have any Pre-service Teachers at your worksite, have a chat with them about the benefits of union support and the power of a collective voice. Encourage them to join the education unions – it is free: https://ieusa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AEU-IEU-Student-Join-Form-2024-2.pdf
As noted by IEU(SA) Branch Secretary Tim Oosterbaan (in his article in this issue of Class Action) this federal election could see hard fought union wins for workers discarded if a change of power occurs.
The IEU’s focus is not on political parties, it is on protecting workers rights. It will be interesting to see how young people take up that challenge to hold their rights as young activists and union members, and as beneficiaries of their own future decisions.
Sources
