Ecb: Created page with 'Category:Everyday Life Many of the hyperdeveloped nations have experienced a serious population problem throughout the 21st century – but it isn’t a matter of overpopulat…'

Ecb — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 02:10:22 GMT

Created page with 'Category:Everyday Life Many of the hyperdeveloped nations have experienced a serious population problem throughout the 21st century – but it isn’t a matter of overpopulat…'

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[[Category:Everyday Life]]
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.

Changing Workforce - Revision history

Ecb: Created page with 'Category:Everyday Life Many of the hyperdeveloped nations have experienced a serious population problem throughout the 21st century – but it isn’t a matter of overpopulat…'