Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/768342
maltatoday, SATURDAY, 31 DECEMBER 2016 8 News Ageing Malta needs migrant workforce but also push for greater families Malta's declining fertility reinforces need for migrant workforce, but are there other ways of encouraging 'repopulation' YANNICK PACE MALTA has one of the lowest fertility rates in Europe and according to Anna Borg, a labour studies lecturer at the University of Malta, if current trends persist the country will struggle to provide social welfare in the future. Declining fertility rates – the average number of children a woman bears during her lifetime – are a common factor to many European nations, whose ageing populations need more workers to sustain the demand for jobs to generate growth, exports as well as to pay taxes and social security. And that source can only be through immigration. Malta's fertility rate has fallen below the EU average, and has been in decline since 2001 when it stood at 1.48, to 1.42 in 2014. The EU average in 2014 was 1.58. In 1990, Malta's fertility rate stood at 2.04. A total fertility rate of around 2.1 live births per woman is considered to be the replacement level in developed coun- tries: in other words, the average number of live births per woman required to keep the population size constant in the absence of inward or outward migration. At a rate below, a population will start to shrink. Borg said that at this stage in Malta's declining fertility rate, its older generations are still in their working years and so far are just enough to keep things going. However with people having fewer children, this won't last forever. "Once it's time for the baby boomers to get their pensions we will have a problem. People used to have more children back in the old days, and we just don't have the replacement rate. It's definitely something the country needs to look into," Borg said. Intuitively, depopulation to some may seem like a good thing – fewer people, more resources to go around. In real- ity, shrinking populations mean fewer workers to drive the economy, which also means fewer people paying taxes. And since people are living longer thanks to better, as well as free, national health services and more efficient medicines and treatments, the government must also dish out more money in pensions and other benefits. One reason for the decline in Maltese fertility rates is the cost of raising children, especially when viewed against a decline in the availability of well-paying jobs, and increas- ingly expensive lifestyles. This was highlighted in a study commissioned by the Mal- ta Council for Economic and Social Development, which noted that households at the lower end of the wage spec- trum are more likely not to be able to afford certain essen- tials if they have children. Anna Borg also said that another contributing factor to low fertility rates was that Malta, like many other southern European states, does not have the supporting structures for working families that exist in Nordic countries. "Higher female representation in the labour market would mean the working population would be able to afford more children. We seem to think that free childcare solved all our problems. It's a good initiative, but children go to child- care till they're three, what happens after? We need a much more holistic approach to the problem if we are to see an improvement," said Borg. This was echoed by JosAnn Cutajar, a senior lecturer in gender studies at the University of Malta, who said there are still many obstacles for women who would like to have a job. "Carers need to be less stigmatised. For instance, in Nordic countries parental leave is accessible to both par- ents." "Policies that make it easier for both parents to work are important because without them, many women are forced to choose between having a second child and their career," Borg added. "This is true of all sectors in Malta, especially the private sector." Need for a foreign workforce With the working population in decline, one way of en- A total fertility rate of around 2.1 live births per woman is considered to be the replacement level in developed countries. At a rate below, a population will start to shrink "Once it's time for the baby boomers to get their pensions we will have a problem. People used to have more children back in the old days, and we just don't have the replacement rate"