Poland faces 1 of the biggest socio-economic challenges in its past – the demographic crisis. Experts inform that maintaining current social transfers and public services will become impossible in the long word without drastic changes. With the decline of the population and the change in the demographic structure, Poland must take urgent action to guarantee the stableness of its social strategy and economy.
Forecasters are alarming.
According to the forecasts of the Central Statistical Office (GUS), by 2060 the population of Poland will decrease by 6.7 million and half of citizens will exceed 50 years of age. The United Nations (UN) predicts that by 2100 Poland can have only 19 million inhabitants. This demographic trend is the consequence of a continuing low fertility that has not changed in 3 decades, and an expanding advantage of the number of deaths over births that has persisted since 2013.
Family support strategy needs reform
The household support system, including programmes specified as 500+, reduced poorness but did not bring about a sustained growth in fertility. Experts propose that benefits should be reformed to better support families in request of assistance while limiting access to benefits for the wealthiest. household support should be aimed at promoting household and healthy lifestyles.
Improving the quality of public services
One key component in the fight against the demographic crisis is improving the quality of public services, specified as access to kindergartens, nursery schools and education. It is besides essential to make a friendly atmosphere for families – both in public and private life. There are more and more cases of discrimination against children in public places, which shows that Polish society is not always open to younger generations.
Labour marketplace in the face of the crisis
Experts are informing that a declining population will have a negative impact on the labour market. A decreasing number of workers means that productivity and investment in modern technologies and education must be increased. Tomasz Lasocki from the University of Warsaw emphasizes that Poland must focus on better education of children, cognition of abroad languages and skillful usage of technologies, specified as artificial intelligence.
Pension age – time to change
The issue of the retirement age of women and men is besides becoming increasingly pressing. Experts, including Prof. Agnieszka Chłoń-Dominczak, note that equalising the retirement age is simply a necessity, not only for the stableness of the pension system, but besides to guarantee equality. Poland lags behind the majority of EU countries in this regard, which experts believe requires immediate action.
Time for urgent action
The demographic crisis is an irreversible change that requires urgent decisions and reforms. Without appropriate action Poland can face serious social and economical problems that will affect future generations. In fresh years, we have seen any government efforts to support families and advance fertility, but experts agree that this is not enough. Urgent and extremist action must be taken to guarantee the stableness of the Polish social strategy and the economy.
More here:
Demographic crisis in Poland: Time for urgent action
