Collective bargaining coverage — Employees with the right to bargain in Canada

Canada: Collective bargaining coverage — Employees with the right to bargain was 30.2 Percentage of employees in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
30.2 Percentage of employees
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
20th
of 29 countries
All-time high
39.6 Percentage of employees
in 1982
All-time low
28.8 Percentage of employees
in 1964
Years of data
65
1960–2024

Collective bargaining coverage — Employees with the right to bargain in Canada, 1960–2024

010203040196019922024

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of employees.

Analysis

In 2024, collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain in Canada stood at 30.2 Percentage of employees.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.0% on the previous year and unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain in Canada peaked at 39.6 Percentage of employees in 1982 and was at its lowest, 28.8 Percentage of employees, in 1964.

Canada ranks 20th of 29 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 30.74 Percentage of employees 28.8 Percentage of employees 32.9 Percentage of employees 10
1970s 36.39 Percentage of employees 33.6 Percentage of employees 38.7 Percentage of employees 10
1980s 37.5 Percentage of employees 36.4 Percentage of employees 39.6 Percentage of employees 10
1990s 36.35 Percentage of employees 32.3 Percentage of employees 38.9 Percentage of employees 10
2000s 31.81 Percentage of employees 31 Percentage of employees 32.3 Percentage of employees 10
2010s 30.4 Percentage of employees 29.6 Percentage of employees 31.4 Percentage of employees 10
2020s 30.56 Percentage of employees 30.2 Percentage of employees 31 Percentage of employees 5

Countries ranked near Canada

  1. 17 United Kingdom 40.2 Percentage of employees compare
  2. 18 Ireland 34 Percentage of employees compare
  3. 19 OECD 33.62 Percentage of employees compare
  4. 21 Hungary 20.4 Percentage of employees compare
  5. 22 Chile 19.3 Percentage of employees compare
  6. 23 New Zealand 18.7 Percentage of employees compare

See the full ranking of 37 places →

More reference data data for Canada

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain in Canada?
Collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain in Canada was 30.2 Percentage of employees in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain recorded in Canada?
The highest recorded value was 39.6 Percentage of employees in 1982.
What is the lowest collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain recorded in Canada?
The lowest recorded value was 28.8 Percentage of employees in 1964.
How does Canada rank for collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain?
Canada ranks 20th out of 29 countries with data for 2024.
Is collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain rising or falling in Canada?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Canada data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Collective bargaining coverage — Employees with the right to bargain. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Collective bargaining coverage — Employees with the right to bargain in Canada. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/collective-bargaining-coverage-employees-with-the-right-to-bargain/canada/

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About this data

Indicator
Collective bargaining coverage — Employees with the right to bargain
Unit
Percentage of employees
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
37 places, 1,069 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed

The database on Institutional Characteristics of Trade Unions, Wage Setting, State Intervention and Social Pacts (ICTWSS) was developed by Prof. Jelle Visser at the University of Amsterdam. It was first released in May 2007. In its initial form, the ICTWSS database combined data from various sources and projects with a main focus on trade union in EU and OECD countries, collective bargaining and employment relations in Europe, and social pacts. In 2021, the ICTWSS database was rebranded as the OECD/AIAS ICTWSS database to reflect the joint effort by the OECD and AIAS-HSI to ensure the continuation of the database following Prof. Visser’s retirement. The OECD/AIAS ICTWSS database is publicly available at: http://www.oecd.org/employment/ictwss-database.htm