Changing Workforce

From Gothpoodle

Many of the hyperdeveloped nations have experienced a serious population problem throughout the 21st century – but it isn’t a matter of overpopulation. Rather, the industrialized nations have seen significant drops in birthrates and even in overall population. This has often caused economic difficulties. Labor shortages have slowed economic growth. Meanwhile, as the ratio of working to retired individuals drops, social programs favoring the elderly have had more and more difficulty finding enough tax revenue to operate.

This problem has been particularly acute in Europe, with nations from Spain to Russia facing serious population losses throughout the century. Japan has also suffered population decline, and presently has the “oldest” demographics of any nation on the planet. Although medical science has allowed many people to continue working to much higher ages, the difficulty remains.

Some nations (notably Japan) have responded to this trend through technological innovation. As working individuals become more productive, as computers and cybershells become better at working independently, economic growth can still continue even as a nation’s workforce shrinks. Other nations (notably Russia and some Asian countries) have supplemented their workforces through manufactured bioroids. This has the negative effect of producing a servile class in society, but it prevents economic decline in the same manner as robotics.

Another approach is simply to encourage immigration from the developing world. A nation with open borders can easily attract skilled labor from poorer countries, offering economic opportunity (and often great social or political stability). Such replacement migration simply keeps the nation’s demographics “young,” ensuring that the workforce remains strong even as the native population ages. This approach has been used by the United States and by some European nations. The primary side effect is a shift in the nation’s ethnic makeup, as with the rapid rise of Hispanic culture in the United States or the recent surge of Islam in parts of Europe. Such cultural shifts have often led to social unrest, especially since they involve an element of generational tension as well.