Jersey would 'need population of 150,000' by 2040 to support current living standards
Jersey would need a population of around 150,000 by 2040 to make sure that living standards do not drop, according to a government report.
The stark assessment outlines the challenges of both an ageing population and fewer young people working on the island to support the economy.
Jersey's workforce is less skilled when compared to UK cities, according to the review, while the number of people aged 65 and above has risen by more than a quarter in the last decade.
In comparison, the group of people aged between 16 and 64 has only gone up by 1%.
Within those of working age, more than 16,000 are between 50-59 years old, meaning they'll soon be nearing retirement.
The government fears there's a "much smaller number of younger people currently living in Jersey to take their place."
In order to maintain living standards, the government says it's developing a "range of positive measures to improve current levels of economic activity" without relying solely on inward migration.
One way of doing this is to focus on improving the island's productivity by investing in skills and education.
The government says it plans to do this by developing a new Skills Development Fund, reforming Skills Jersey and reviewing apprenticeship subsidies on the island.
It also hopes to reform the Higher Education funding system to focus more on the island's needs.
There are plans to use automation and technology to boost Jersey's economy as well.
All industries are being encouraged to adopt the latest software to improve innovation and efficiency.
As Jersey has control of its own legislations and regulations, it's hoped it could become a prime location for companies to trial the latest automation technologies.
Jersey's population was recorded at around 103,000 in the 2021 Census with the island's Council of Ministers saying they will not accept the level of immigration that future modelling currently shows is needed.
"It's really important that we take action now because we don't want to see our quality of life flatline whilst simply papering over the cracks by allowing more and more people in," Jersey's Chief Minister Deputy Kristina Moore said.
She added: "We need to look towards more productivity, encouraging people to have children and growing our community at a measured and pragmatic rate so that we can be strong and look after everybody."
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