Is demography destiny? The role of structural and demographic factors in Australia's past and future labour supply

Abstract

Following the release of the Intergenerational Report, the Australian Treasury identified the levers to address the economic effects of demographic ageing as 'the three Ps': population, participation and productivity. To date, the first 'P', population, has been treated as an exogenous factor, with the common view being that there is very little that the government can do to supplant demographic ageing. Focusing upon labour supply, this paper shows how variation in Australia's underlying demography can significantly alter Australia's future labour supply. Although governments cannot redirect the cohort flow component of population ageing, much can be achieved in promoting growth of the labour supply by maintaining or increasing fertility (in the longer term), or increasing targeted migration (in the short to medium term). This paper also decomposes the relative role of cohort flow, changing demography and changing labour force participation on the growth of the labour supply over the past 20 years. Over this period, the entry of the baby boom generation (cohort flow) and increased tabour force participation of women accounted for almost all of the growth in the labour force. Changing demography had very little effect. However, Australia's future tabour supply will not include a large increase in cohort flow (as caused by the baby boomers) or a very large increase in female labour force participation. Regardless of the assumptions used, labour supply growth will be considerably lower in the next and subsequent 20 years, when compared to the previous 20.