Global Culture

Michael Parekh comments on the article Boomer’s Good Life Tied to Better Life for Immigrants, published by the Wall Street Journal:

The quality of life for some 80 million graying baby boomers in the U.S. may depend in large part on the fortunes of another high-profile demographic group: millions of mostly Hispanic immigrants and their children. [...]

In California, for example, there were 9.7 million baby boomers between the ages of 40 and 49 in 2005, who accounted for 51% of the prime working-age population. By 2020, they will be 55 to 74 years old, with most boomers on the brink of retirement or about to plunge into it.

The weight of this aging population will swell relative to the pool of working-age people. The ratio of senior citizens to prime-working-age people, 25 to 64 years old, will jump 30% in the decade between 2010 and 2020 and an additional 29% in the following decade, according to Prof. Myers.

All told, the ratio of seniors to working-age residents, including immigrants, will grow from 250 seniors per 1,000 working-age people in 2010 to 411 per 1,000 in 2030, he calculates.

In the spirit of migration changing the world, the WSJ article observes that the tired debate over national security has blinded most politicians (and their followers) from the real objective: to create an all-inclusive society that grows strong and capable of sustaining the life-style that we are used to. Otherwise, the will of the aging population will be diluted by the conditions and skills of a workforce limited in education and a dramatic slow down will be inevitable. One way or another migrants will prevail. It is up to us to decide in what capacity they participate of the future growth of our countries.