Tomorrow's workforce
Cornwall
Standard-Freeholder (ON)
Thu 28 Sep 2006
Page: 6
Section: Opinion

Byline:
Source:

It comes to no surprise that starting in 2010 Canada will
have a decreasing number of employed people in relation to the number of
retirees. It is most recently illustrated by a study authored by the C.D. Howe Institute, which
estimates the proportion of retirees (65 and older ) will rise from 20 per cent
in 2012 to 46 per cent in 2050.

As a way of reversing this trend, the study proposed a huge increase in
immigration - so much so that one scenario suggests accepting 2.6 million people
annually by 2020 and then as much as seven million in 2050.

Even this massive infusion wouldn't be sustaining. "Immigration can help
labour force growth, but it can not alter the entire age structure of the entire
population," said one of the co-author Yvan
Guillemette.

Yes, the country's employed wouldn't be overburdened supporting retirees, but
there would be other repercussions.

Canada's population would explode - quadrupling in just over 40 years. How
could the country cope with the huge demands placed on the economic/social
infrastructure?

One could also imagine the drastic change to the cultural and social fabric
of the country - could Canada cope with such a huge influx of new residents
without strife between newcomers wanting a place in the sun and the status quo.

The cure could indeed be worse than the illness.

Ultimately the C.D. Howe report
suggests Canada would be better off creating policies to increase the number of
people in the workforce, raising the retirement age, encouraging people to save
and boosting productivity. All easier said than done, with one possible
exception.

One solution which could boost the workforce is increase the birth rate.
While there certainly are tax credits available to families, they are hardly
adequate to encouraging bigger families.

Most young families are content with two children - a family of five is now
considered big. It is commonly accepted that raising a family today is much more
financially challenging than perhaps 40 to 50 years ago.

Money that would otherwise be spent processing millions of immigrants could
be used to support a home-grown remedy.

infrastructure?

© 2006 Osprey Media Group Inc. All rights
reserved.

Edition:
Length: 378 words