this post was submitted on 04 Sep 2023
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Low birthrate and ageing population pose ‘an urgent risk to society’, but can opening its borders to skilled overseas workers fix the problem?

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (5 children)

The problem is that you still need a productive group of people to fund and care for retirees. Japan has the ability to absorb millions in its rural towns. It just doesn't.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)

It's not as easy as absorbing people into rural towns and I suspect you know that.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah, but it seems better than the alternatives of letting those towns collapse.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

So you're going to have towns full of retired old people? Maybe also include their caretakers and maybe service workers supplying everything the caretakers need. Oh, and schools for the caretakers children. And teachers, obviously. And maybe some industry for the caretakers spouses to work at.

Retirees aren't going to keep towns alive. They're just usually among the last to leave.

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