The Wales Centre for Public Policy have published a report looking at possible ways to prevent a decline in Wales’s population numbers. According to the Centre there is a need for policies that will encourage an increase in fertility, methods of retaining and attracting people of working age to Wales in order to prevent the negative economic and social impacts that results from a population that both decreases in size and is too old. By looking at international examples of policies and methods of getting to grips with the problem, the Centre has compiled a number of possible interventions that could be used to increase the numbers of young people in Wales.
As a result of fertility and mortality rates in Wales, more people die than are born here since 2015/16. This has resulted in more old people, and a reduction in the numbers of young people and those of working age.
The Wales Centre for Public Policy was commissioned by the Welsh Government to conduct a review of the best evidence available regarding how other countries are dealing with the issue by looking at three key topics:
- Enabling and encouraging fertility
- Retaining people, especially young and skilled workers
- Attracting inward migrants, especially young and skilled workers
The report argues that policies that encourage people to have children and makes that process easier, such as securing parental leave and affordable childcare schemes, are key. Yet, the report also argues that there is also a need to ensure that those children stay in the country in the long term, and therefore ensuring population retention and attracting inward migration is crucial for ensuring the future of Wales’s younger population.
You can read more about the work and read the report in full by following this link to The Wales Centre for Public Policy’s website.
