Mia Mottley, the Prime Minister of Barbados, lately knowledgeable her nation’s Home of Meeting that their nation “is in a disaster with respect to an ageing and declining inhabitants.” By making this assertion, the Prime Minister highlighted a urgent difficulty that impacts not solely Barbados however many different international locations within the Caribbean.
The populations of many Caribbean international locations are ageing, whereas the variety of working people who contribute to taxes, charges, and levies mandatory for funding pensions and sustaining well being and schooling sectors is declining. If this pattern continues, Barbados and different Caribbean international locations will battle to maintain the cost of pensions and healthcare, significantly for the aged who’re the first customers, in addition to schooling. Ms. Mottley emphasised that “these providers don’t come low-cost” and rely closely on tax income, which is underneath menace because of the inhabitants decline.
She additionally famous that the nation’s social care providers are “integral to the well being and wellness of Barbadians,” as they’re to all Caribbean nations. If these providers shrink or collapse, there shall be an elevated outflow of expert and semi-skilled individuals from the area, exacerbating the already troubling state of affairs.
As one potential answer, the Prime Minister proposed opening Barbados to immigrants to enlarge the working inhabitants and enhance productiveness. She highlighted the advantages of CARICOM nationals contributing to sectors reminiscent of development and agriculture, stating, “when you didn’t have these individuals dwelling right here serving to to manage the worth of labor labourers in agriculture and development, the extent of inflation and price of dwelling would have gone by way of the roof at a a lot earlier level.”
Caribbean international locations are at varied phases of inhabitants ageing. By 2030, the share of individuals aged 60 years and over within the whole inhabitants shall be increased than 20 p.c for many international locations.
Years in the past, Antigua and Barbuda acknowledged the correlation between a bigger inhabitants, financial progress, and the supply of social providers, significantly for its ageing inhabitants. This recognition has contributed to its place because the second fastest-growing Caribbean economic system, behind solely Guyana with its vibrant oil and gasoline trade.
Proof of the constructive affect of immigration is present in a background research for the World Improvement Report 2023, “Migrants, Refugees, and Societies.” The research examined the 14 impartial CARICOM international locations and the Dominican Republic, discovering that in six of the international locations, immigrants characterize greater than 10 p.c of the inhabitants. In Antigua and Barbuda, immigrants make up as a lot as 30 p.c of the inhabitants, straight contributing to the nation’s capability to take care of its well being and schooling providers and pension funds. Assembly these obligations is especially difficult for Antigua and Barbuda as a result of it has no private revenue tax, however the state of affairs would have been a lot worse with out the immigrant working inhabitants.
In 2020, the international locations with the best variety of immigrants as a share of the inhabitants have been: Antigua and Barbuda (30%), The Bahamas (16.2%), Belize (15.6%), and Barbados (12.1%). The 2 CARICOM international locations with the bottom variety of immigrants have been Haiti and Jamaica, whose nationals comprise almost 75% of the outflow of individuals from the area.
It ought to be famous that immigrants to Caribbean international locations will not be solely different Caribbean nationals but additionally come from the U.S., Canada, the UK, and elements of Europe. In The Bahamas, as an illustration, the place immigration from the Caribbean is tightly managed, the numbers of non-Caribbean nationals are increased. Equally, Belize, because of its location in Central America, has a far increased influx of immigrants from neighbouring states than from the Caribbean.
Proximity to the Leeward and Windward Islands, and obligations for the motion of labour underneath the Group of Japanese Caribbean States (OECS), have prompted Antigua and Barbuda to turn into the principle vacation spot nation for OECS migrants. This motion has eased strains on different OECS international locations and helped develop Antigua and Barbuda’s economic system by offering a better essential mass for manufacturing and sustaining social welfare.
The significance of migration has lately been emphasised for Australia – a rustic which, for many years, stored out immigrants and even paid different international locations to take them. A current report by the Migration Council of Australia promoted a coverage to simply accept immigrants in Australia’s curiosity, projecting that the economic system shall be 40 p.c bigger because of migration by 2050. Migration will contribute $1.6 trillion to the Australian economic system, underscoring its significance for Australia’s future prosperity.
Additionally, the American Immigration Council studies that “virtually one in each seven folks within the U.S. is an immigrant. They’re paying taxes, beginning companies, and making important contributions throughout important industries, together with maintenance of well being and schooling providers”.
For a while, CARICOM international locations have been engaged on rolling out components of a Single Market and Economic system, together with the liberty of motion of labour. At present, 12 particular ability classes are lined underneath the mobility settlement, together with college graduates, artists, musicians, media employees, athletes, lecturers, nurses, agricultural employees, and safety guards.
Whereas some stage of immigration is allowed inside CARICOM to enlarge working populations, rather more must be achieved. For instance, giant oil and gasoline manufacturing in Guyana has introduced important calls for. The Worldwide Labour Group says that Guyana wants not less than 160,000 further employees, representing 20 p.c of its inhabitants. The pull to developed international locations, such because the US, Canada, and Britain, can even proceed. All this can create competitors for acceptable immigrants.
Nonetheless, as Prime Minister Mottley has said, and because the expertise of Antigua and Barbuda has proven, immigration will solely be acceptable and embraced by native populations if three situations are met: it should be deliberate and orderly, with immigrants similar to wanted abilities over not less than a 10-year interval; the backgrounds of immigrants should be totally checked for safety causes; and the tradition, traditions, and values of the nationwide society should be revered.
CARICOM leaders in authorities and the non-public sector ought to deal with this difficulty with the pressing planning it deserves. A high-level group drawn from each sectors, suggested by analysis from the College of the West Indies, ought to plan for the orderly migration and absorption of expert and semi-skilled individuals who’re clearly wanted.
(The author is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the US and the OAS. The views expressed are totally his personal)
