How big is the share of employees who are represented by employee representatives? An indicator of the social dialogue at the establishment level is the share of employees for whom there is an employee representative body.
Works councils in companies and in the public service are involved in staff decisions and, representing the employees, conclude agreements with the employers.
Employee representative bodies more widespread in public service than in the private sector
In 2023, a total 43% of the employees in Germany were represented by employee representative bodies. Works councils are elected in establishments with more than five persons employed. In the private sector, the share was 36%, in the public service, the share of employees for whom there are staff councils was 95% and thus several times higher.
Chance of having a works council increasing with company size
The firm size plays an important role, too: In 2023, under 8% of the persons employed in establishments with 10 to 20 employees had a works council. The share rises with the firm size, reaching 82% in establishments with more than 200 employees. Alternative employee representation is also more common in larger establishments.
| Companies with ... to ... employees | Works or staff council (all establishments) | Altervative employee representation |
|---|---|---|
| Source: Panel of Establishments (IAB) 2023. | ||
| 1 to 4 employees | - | 4 |
| 5 to 9 employees | 2 | 8 |
| 10 to 20 employees | 8 | 13 |
| 21 to 50 employees | 17 | 16 |
| 51 to 100 employees | 32 | 15 |
| 101 to 200 employees | 49 | 17 |
| 201 and more employees | 82 | 17 |
Employee representatives rate lower in the new Länder
In the new Länder employee representatives with works or staff councils (40%) were less common than in the former territory of the Federal Republic of Germany (44%). This can be explained solely to companies with more than 200 employees. In all other company sizes, the employees of the new Länder are represented by works councils at least as often as than in the Western Länder.
Information on the Indicator
Description or definition
Percentage of employees whose company has a work council in all employees.
Source
Institute for Employment Research (IAB) - Panel of Establishments
Information for interpretation
For methodological information on the IAB Panel of Establishment please refer to the website of the Institute for Employment Research (IAB).