Last year, the unionization rate stood at 13%. That was the same as a year earlier. The unionization rate refers to the share of actual union members out of all workers eligible to join a union. This rate has been on a downward trend since 2020.
According to the "2024 national labor union organization status" that the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) released on the 4th, the total number of union members was tallied at 2,777,000. That was up 40,000 from a year earlier. The number of union members has increased for two straight years.
The unionization rate was 13%, unchanged from a year earlier. Although the number of union members increased, the number of workers eligible for unionization (all economically active wage workers minus certain public officials and teachers who are not allowed to join unions) rose by a similar amount, leaving the unionization rate unchanged. The unionization rate has been trending downward since hitting 14.2% in 2020.
The number of labor unions was 6,125, down 44 from a year earlier. Although 319 unions were newly formed last year, more unions were dissolved due to reasons such as prolonged inactivity.
By national federation, the share of members was 43.3% (1,200,200) for the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) and 38.8% (1,079,000) for the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU). Membership at the FKTU increased from a year earlier, while the KCTU declined. As a result, the FKTU has maintained its position as the "No. 1 labor federation" for five consecutive years.
The larger the size of the establishment, the higher the unionization rate. The unionization rate was tallied at ▲ 35.1% for 300 or more employees ▲ 5.4% for 100–299 ▲ 1.3% for 30–99 ▲ 0.1% for fewer than 30. By institutional sector, the unionization rate was 9.8% in the private sector, 71.7% in the public sector, 66.4% among public officials, and 32.3% among teachers.