Buzzer
Languidly Clinical
- Oct 1, 2006
- 26,121
You don't really get what I'm saying, so I've put some statistics below for you to analyse regarding this. The USA and Australia have considerably higher rates of immigration than we do and that includes unskilled workers. Also included Spain to hopefully address that query too. Again, countries need population growth if there is to be economic growth and the only way to achieve that is immigration - it is not just about bringing in skilled workers, in capitalism unskilled workers are just as important for the economy.
Population growth rate (new immigrants in 2007) population
Australia 1.8% (180,000) 22 million
Spain 1.7% (700,000) 47 million
USA 1.0% (1,300,000) 320 million
UK 0.7% (237,000) 63 million
Italy 0.7% (270,000) 60 million
Japan -0.0% (170,000) 127 million
I do get what you're saying but simply put, I think you are wrong to say that immigration is a prerequisite to economic growth and I've stated the reasons why I think you are wrong. I've also pointed out that I fully understand that capitalist countries bring in workers at all skill levels and that I didn't think there was any dispute about that.
I must confess that I'm puzzled by those stats you've pulled out though. Why use figures dating back to 2007? Where do they come from? Why not the most recent figures from the OECD, Eurostat or the WorldBank? What are those stats trying to say because as far as I can see they don't have any correlation with economic growth because Spain and Italy would be bottom of that pile and I presume those figures are net population growth rates not taking into account the very real brain drain that those countries are experiencing.
They also don't tie in with the latest Eurostat figures who have Spain as showing a -3.5% population growth (i.e. net emigration) up to 2012, their latest figures available and we know the situation is getting worse in these countries.