The inhabitants of the EU are projected to become fewer and older, according to a new report from the European Commission. One of the four proposed solutions put forward is to bring in labor through immigration.
The European Commission suggests that they aim to address the increasingly steep population pyramid where the number of elderly people expected to be supported is predicted to rise by 70 percent by 2100, while the overall population is expected to decrease.
Against this backdrop, they argue that developments within the EU risk leading to weakened competitiveness, increased pressure on member states’ budgets, and a labor shortage.
The Commission’s report highlights four tools they believe will secure economic regeneration. Firstly, they aim to make it easier for parents to balance family life with work, in part through effective childcare. They also emphasize a focus on helping the younger generation develop their skills to more easily enter the job market and find reasonably priced housing. A third component is to provide the older generation with quality welfare.
To address the labor shortage within the union, they propose a fourth tool described in the report as “enhanced avenues for legal migration.”
“Enhanced legal migration pathways to the EU can help fill vacancies while also benefitting origin countries. The need to make Europe a more attractive destination for talent from third countries is a consistent call from EU industry”.
They suggest that labor immigration should be employed “as needed” and that the tools are up to the EU countries themselves to implement.
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