In the developed world, average life expectancy is increasing. What problems will this cause for individuals and society? Suggest some measures that could be taken to reduce the impact of ageing populations.

Due to renovations to medical studies, the average lifespan in advanced economies has increased over the past few years.

Although

there will undoubtedly be some negative consequences of

this

trend, societies could take steps to curb these potential problems. As people are expected to live longer, there are several challenges individuals and societies must face.

Firstly

, a considerable proportion of the population in countries

such

as Japan, France or Germany will soon reach the age of 60 or more.

This

leads to the fact that the majority of adults in these nations will retire; and

therefore

, render their economies vulnerable to a shortage of workforce.

As a result

, these developed countries have to import a significant number of

laborers

someone who works with their hands; someone engaged in manual labor

labourers

from Africa or South Asia to meet the demand for the

labor

a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages

labour

force of their economies. At the same time,

young

Suggestion

younger

generations in the industrialized nations must bear the heavy burden of nursing their senior members, which leaves them less time for work, self-improvement, and recreation. The above issues could be addressed if governments take the following remedies.

First

of all, policymakers could extend the retirement age to make up for the deficiency of human resources. In fact, a number of EU member states have already introduced the initiative to raise the retirement age from 65 to 67 years in 2020. Simultaneously, authorities should introduce acts that improve the quality of nursing homes and healthcare services in order to lift the burden off junior residents’ shoulders.

Finally

, policies should be implemented to encourage fertility rates among the

next

generations, which is to stabilize the population structure. In conclusion,

problems

Suggestion

the problems

caused by increasing average life expectancy will be more likely to deteriorate unless the governments take immediate measurements.