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elleng

(130,852 posts)
Fri Nov 21, 2014, 12:55 PM Nov 2014

by Robert Reich

One of the least talked about but most important aspects of immigration has to do with our aging population. Fifty years ago, every retiree in America was supported by five workers. Now, there are 3.5 workers per retiree. By 2030 there will be 2 workers per retiree – unless more young immigrants come to America. Like other advanced economies, ours is aging quickly. Developing nations face the opposite challenge: Large and growing numbers of young people. Inevitably over the next thirty years, the young from developing nations will move to developed nations with aging populations. That’s good for the young and the old.

But this transition won't happen smoothly or easily in any developed nation. America has one advantage over other aging societies: We know how to assimilate waves of new immigrants. We've been doing it for several hundred years.

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