The development to be pursued in a country that does not have children (and risks losing GDP) – Corriere.it

Last year we fell below the threshold of 400,000 births. Even more serious is the fact that in the first six months of 2022 there was another 2% decline compared to the same period in 2021. As the president of Istat Gian Carlo Blangiardo often points out, in 2070 there will be 11 million fewer Italians . And, even considering an immigration quota equal to 130 thousand people a year, the 36 million Italians of working age today will drop to 25 million. These few numbers seem to be clearly present to the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, who spoke of demographic glaciation in her speech asking for the trust.

Flexibility and retirement

Those numbers should determine the policies of an aging country that runs the risk of not maintaining the levels of GDP necessary not only to cope with a high debt, but also to guarantee its development. definitely a matter of birth. But I also look at someone who must project forward in the medium and long term. Which doesn’t mean you don’t act right away. In an aging country, more investments in healthcare are needed. Think also of leaving the world of work. Flexibility is now understood as the possibility of leaving the job earlier. On the other hand, except for heavy work, one should think about extending the age of retirement forward. We should think about how young people can and should enter the world of work first. And we should address the issue of female employment which sees us, in percentage terms, among the countries that are the most behind in Europe as involving women.

The silver economy

Without to forget the opportunities that may arise. The silver economy, think different cities, home automation. Those that Massimo Livi Bacci, one of the major world demographers, Linceo, indicates as development themes in order not to wallow in the crisis. It is not a question of forgetting emergencies, starting with energy costs or a price rush that seems unstoppable. But to put them in a path. That will help to decide on better measures to respond to crises.