A new GLO Discussion Paper finds that a more differentiated picture of industrial relations can be obtained by considering both membership in employers’ associations and collective bargaining coverage.

GLO Discussion Paper No. 954, 2021

Membership in Employers’ Associations and Collective Bargaining Coverage in Germany – Download PDF
by Jirjahn, Uwe

GLO Fellow Uwe Jirjahn

Author Abstract: While there is a strong overlap between membership in employers’ associations and collective bargaining coverage, the overlap is far from being perfect. Using unique firm-level data from Germany, this study estimates the determinants of the membership in employers’ associations and the coverage by industry-level or firm-level agreements. The analysis particularly focuses on the various constellations of membership and collective bargaining status. The results show that firm-level worker representation, foreign ownership, work organization, firm size, age and East-West differences are important determinants. Altogether, the analysis demonstrates that a more differentiated picture of industrial relations can be obtained by considering both membership in employers’ associations and collective bargaining coverage.

GLO Discussion Papers are research and policy papers of the GLO Network which are widely circulated to encourage discussion. Provided in cooperation with EconStor, a service of the ZBW – Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, GLO Discussion Papers are among others listed in RePEc (see IDEAS,  EconPapers). Complete list of all GLO DPs – downloadable for free.

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