Immigration, Labour Force, and the Age Structure of the Population

The paper explores the effects of immigration on the rates of growth of the population and labour force and on the age distribution and dependency relations within the population. Projections are presented and the consequences of different future rates of immigration are investigated. Dependency ratios based on various definitions are proposed and calculated, and the effects on the ratios of alternative future immigration rates are evaluated. The regional implications of different immigration rates are evaluated also. Simulations are carried out to determine how much immigration would be required to stabilize the future rate of growth