1. Union Membership Does Not Seem to Be Attractive to Young People and as a Result Unions Are Trying to Develop Strategies to Stay Relevant.

Introduction

Singapore has braved an arduous journey to enjoy the stability it does now in terms of employment relations. The youths of Singapore are now enjoying the fruits of labour of the earlier generations. Affluence, affordable education and a growing economy has been presented to the youths of today that they do not take the slightest interest in being a part of trade unions and to partake in union activities simply because they have not gone through recessions and definitely not during times where unemployment posed a problem. This is proven that in the first quarter of 2012, jobless rates fell to a 14-year low of 2 per cent. Singapore created 121,300 jobs last year; reflecting no lack of jobs for the youths but rather an abundance of job opportunities (Cai, 2012, February 1). This paper will discuss why youths do not seem to be attracted to take on union memberships and how unions are striving to change this in order to stay relevant.

Union membership does not seem to be attractive to young people

There are various reasons why Singaporean youths do not see a need to be part of unions, one of the reasons primarily similar to other European countries where studies have shown that youths stay out of trade unions due to the lack of awareness and knowledge of trade unionism (Kretsos, 2011). Research suggests that youths are typically ‘black boxes’ or ‘blank slates’ regarding unions, and their knowledge of unions are minimal in the transition from education to work (Tailby & Pollert, 2011). Without a clear understanding on the functions of the unions and how youths can actually benefit from it, the obvious impact would clearly be a decline in union memberships.

Singapore has continuously progressed for the better and youth’s educational profiles have improved, with most youths taking post-secondary education and entering the labour force only after turning 25 years of age. As these youths become better educated, they are unwillingly to take on union work...