How many Canadian workers are unionized?

In 2023, Statistics Canada reported that 5.3 million Canadians—about 3 in 10 employees—were covered by collective bargaining agreements. This includes both union members and non-members under such contracts. Unionization rates, also referred to as collective bargaining rates, peaked at 37.6% in 1981 but declined to 30.4% by 2023, with most of the drop happening after 1997. The drop can be attributed to declining unionization rates of private sector employees. Between 1997 and 2023, the proportion of private sector workers covered by collective bargaining agreements fell by 5.8 percentage points. Meanwhile, public sector workers have been trending in the opposite direction. During the same period, the share of public sector workers covered by collective bargaining agreements climbed 2 percentage points. In 2023, 76.7% of public sector employees were unionized compared to 15.5% of employees in the private sector.

A higher proportion of women than men work in a unionized environment

In 1997, more men (35.2%) than women (32.1%) were employed in workplaces covered by collective bargaining agreements. This trend reversed by 2008, and a higher proportion of women have been covered by a union contract since. In 2023, 32.5% of women were unionized compared to 28.4% of men. Since fewer women than men worked in the private sector during this period, women were less affected by the drop in private sector coverage. Also, the share of women working in the public sector rose from 27.9% in 1997 to 31.2% in 2023. Most women in the public sector work in healthcare and social assistance (36.5%) or education (31.9%), sectors that tend to be unionized. For men, the share working in the public sector decreased from 19.2% in 1997 to 17.7% in 2023.

Unionization rates are highest in Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec

Unionization rates declined in all provinces except for Prince Edward Island, which saw a 5.1 percentage increase from 1997 to 2023, jumping from 29.4% to 35.4%, placing it in the middle of the pack. The steepest declines were in British Columbia, which experienced a 6.4 percentage point decrease, from 36.5% in 1997 to 30.1% in 2023.

Collective bargaining rates were highest in Newfoundland and Labrador (39.6%) and Quebec (38.9%), and lowest in Ontario (26.3%) and Alberta (24.9%).