Wednesday, July 18, 2007

CANADA FACES LABOUR CRUNCH: IS IMMIGRATION THE SOLUTION?

Statistics Canada just released a comprehensive study of Canada's ageing population. The bottom line: elderly population in Canada is on the increase, and the trend is here to stay. This will cause not only severe strain on heath care and social services, but also a reduction in the number of young workers available to join the labour force and support the retiring generation. Can immigration be the answer to this problem? Unlikely. Immigrants age too, and the average age of new immigrants is 30 years old, according to the statistics. Also, Canada admits a sizable number of older immigrants, particularly sponsored relatives ( parents, grandparents) who will never join the labour force, yet will demand the same level of health care and social services than other elderly Canadians. Should this policy be revisited in light of the startling statistics? Should Canada make a concerted effort to recruit younger immigrants to the exclusion of older ones? For an interesting article on the labour force crunch see:

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