Young Workers and Union Engagement: How Do You Keep Them?
Union membership is declining among experienced workers, but under-25s are showing growing interest. Good news… except keeping them engaged is a whole different challenge.
Young workers aren't turning their backs on unions
Economic precarity, workers' rights, social and environmental values — there are real reasons for people under 25 to get involved.
So why do so many unions struggle to hold onto that engagement over time?
Key takeaways
Young workers are more involved than before, but their engagement is fragile
Data from Statistics Canada (2006–2025), adapted by the Institut de la statistique du Québec, shows how union participation among young workers has shifted over time.
The trend points to genuine interest, but also significant variation depending on the period and working conditions.
Access to information drives engagement
Whether members stay involved depends heavily on how easily they can find what they need: meeting dates, votes, key documents, important decisions.
When that information is clear and easy to find, participation goes up.
Scattered communications kill participation
When messages are spread across multiple channels, members lose track of what's happening in their union. That directly affects how many people show up, to activities and to collective decisions.
What unions are doing to engage young members
Youth committees, social media, campus campaigns, online recruitment, the initiatives are out there, and some of them work well for bringing in new members.
But bringing people in is the easy part.
Keeping them engaged over the long run, that's where it gets hard.
Why young members drift away
The young member paradox
For a young worker, figuring out where to find union information isn't always straightforward. Channels are scattered, communications are inconsistent, and actively hunting down updates isn't a natural habit for most people.
It's not disengagement. It's just that the information isn't coming to them.
Young people grew up digital. They expect what's relevant to them to land in their hands, in real time.
Scattered information kills engagement
When union updates trickle in through a WhatsApp group, an email, and occasionally a Facebook message, members don't know where to look anymore.
And when they don't know where to look, they stop looking.
How we help
No more information scattered across WhatsApp, email, Messenger, and whatever else.
Fortisia brings everything your members need into one place, on one app.
Members get direct access to:
- Notices and practical updates
- General meeting dates
- Election and vote results
- Key documents (collective agreements, financial statements, etc.)
- Strike notices
- Union news
The result: members are informed, engaged, and stay.
In summary : keeping young members means keeping it simple
There's a lot of talk about generational engagement. The challenge is simpler than people think.
Young members aren't less willing to get involved. They just want clear, accessible information, without having to dig through three different channels to find out what's happening in their union.
Getting clear on where information lives, who posts it, and how to access it, that's often where everything falls into place. Not in yet another recruitment campaign.
More and more unions are catching on, centralizing their communications so every member, regardless of age, always knows where to find what they need.
At the end of the day, the goal isn't to send more information. It's to make sure it actually gets seen.
That's the thinking behind Fortisia: one place for communications, documents, and conversations. A clear reference point for every member.
FAQ: Young workers and union engagement
What makes it hard to keep young members engaged?
Hybrid work, varying schedules, and a more diverse workforce all make mobilization trickier. Young members aren't all in the same place at the same time anymore, and unions that get this are adapting how they communicate.
Are young workers still interested in unions?
Yes. According to data from the Institut de la statistique du Québec, under-25s have a genuine interest in union membership, driven by precarious work and workers' rights concerns. The problem isn't recruitment, it's retention.
How can unions do a better job integrating young members?
By giving them real roles, recognizing their contributions, and offering flexible, digital-friendly ways to participate. Lasting involvement doesn't happen by accident, it starts with how you welcome people in.
Why don't young members come to general meetings?
Usually it's not a lack of interest, it's a lack of clear, accessible information. A member who didn't get the notice in the right place, or who doesn't understand what's on the agenda, isn't going to show up.
Can Fortisia help improve union communications?
Yes. Fortisia centralizes all union communications in one place: meetings, votes, documents, strike notices. Members always know where to find information, which reduces disengagement and builds lasting involvement.
