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

Ireland: Collective bargaining coverage — Employees with the right to bargain was 34 Percentage of employees in 2017. ▼ Falling

Latest (2017)
34 Percentage of employees
World rank
18th
of 29 countries
All-time high
70 Percentage of employees
in 1960
All-time low
34 Percentage of employees
in 2017
Years of data
12
1960–2017

Collective bargaining coverage — Employees with the right to bargain in Ireland, 1960–2017

0204060801960198820171960: 70 Percentage of employees1965: 70 Percentage of employees1970: 70 Percentage of employees1975: 70 Percentage of employees1980: 70 Percentage of employees1985: 70 Percentage of employees1990: 62.8 Percentage of employees1995: 57.8 Percentage of employees2000: 44.2 Percentage of employees2005: 41.7 Percentage of employees2009: 40.5 Percentage of employees2017: 34 Percentage of employees

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

Analysis

In 2017, collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain in Ireland stood at 34 Percentage of employees. That is the lowest value across all 12 years on record.

That represents a change of down 18.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain in Ireland peaked at 70 Percentage of employees in 1960 and was at its lowest, 34 Percentage of employees, in 2017.

Ireland ranks 18th of 29 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 70 Percentage of employees 70 Percentage of employees 70 Percentage of employees 2
1970s 70 Percentage of employees 70 Percentage of employees 70 Percentage of employees 2
1980s 70 Percentage of employees 70 Percentage of employees 70 Percentage of employees 2
1990s 60.3 Percentage of employees 57.8 Percentage of employees 62.8 Percentage of employees 2
2000s 42.13 Percentage of employees 40.5 Percentage of employees 44.2 Percentage of employees 3
2010s 34 Percentage of employees 34 Percentage of employees 34 Percentage of employees 1

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 15 Israel 45.8 Percentage of employees compare
  2. 16 Czechia 43.2 Percentage of employees compare
  3. 17 United Kingdom 40.2 Percentage of employees compare
  4. 19 OECD 33.62 Percentage of employees compare
  5. 20 Canada 30.2 Percentage of employees compare
  6. 21 Hungary 20.4 Percentage of employees compare

See the full ranking of 37 places →

More reference data data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain in Ireland?
Collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain in Ireland was 34 Percentage of employees in 2017, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 70 Percentage of employees in 1960.
What is the lowest collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 34 Percentage of employees in 2017.
How does Ireland rank for collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain?
Ireland ranks 18th out of 29 countries with data for 2017.
Is collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 18.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ireland 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 Ireland. 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/ireland/

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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