The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) announced on December 20 that the labor union membership rate was estimated at 16.3% as of the end of June this year. This represents a 0.2 percentage point decrease from the previous year and is the lowest rate since 1953, when the current method of counting labor union membership was introduced. The total number of union members decreased by 55,000 from the previous year to 9.938 million.
RENGO and ZENROREN, two major organizations, decreased by 19,000 to 681,700 and 13,000 to 464,000, respectively. The number of members increased in lodging, restaurants, and services industries, while it decreased in the manufacturing industry. The number of part-time union members increased by 6,000 to a record 1.41 million, and the number of female members increased by 2,000 to 3.473 million.
The organization rate, which was 36.3% in 1953, has continued to decline in recent years.