Low birth rate

While some parts of the world are experiencing explosive population growth, many developed countries are encountering the reverse problem: declining birthrates and a ‘fertility crisis’ that poses major challenges, not only for governments, but also for employers faced with an ever-decreasing pool of work-age people. In this series, we look at the impacts and concerns for employers and investigate the role they can play in encouraging fertility among their employees, including policies around family leave. This is the first element of a three-part study covering: 1) low birth rate; 2) the aging population and 3) possible/partial solutions: migration, technology etc. Parts 2) and 3) will be released in the coming months.

In this episode, Professor Wolfgang Lutz founder of the Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital and all-round expert on demographics, discusses with us the issue of low birthrate in various countries across the world and the possible impacts on the workplaces of the future.