Arbeitsmarkteinflüsse auf die Mitgliedsstruktur der DGB-Gewerkschaften

Since their re-establishment after World War II, German trade unions have developed into a cornerstone of society and a firm, if not even constitutive, component of the German political and economic system. As one of the main actors in labor relations, they negotiate, together with employer associations and the state, the institutional framework within which labor as a commodity is traded. The power that trade unions can exert is, among other things, dependent on their ability to create and maintain a loyal membership base. In this context, the recruitment venue plays a crucial role. For trade unions, this venue is clearly the labor market, the changes of which should consequently also affect the unions in general and their membership structure in particular. The existence of this presumed relationship is examined through a structural time series analysis spanning 60 years, supplemented by numerous graphs and data material.