In many countries, the proportion of older people is steadily increasing. Does this trend have more positive effects or negative effects on society?

In recent years, there is a significant increase in the proportion of elderly people in many countries. Personally, I argue that
this
trend exerts more negative impacts on society. One of the main drawbacks is that ageing 
populations
put a heavy burden on the social welfare system. The more retired people there are in a society, the more claims are made for state pensions.
As a result
, the government will have to increase funds for the state pension system, while reducing funds for other social programmes, including financial support for low-income families, unemployment benefits and student loans.
Besides
, a higher proportion of elderly people in the population is
also
likely to cause
labour
shortages, resulting in lower productivity. Not only will
this
hinder economic growth
,
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but,
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it will
also
cause
labour
costs to rise. To cover higher
labour
costs, companies will have to raise the prices of their products and services -- a burden that will be borne by consumers.
However
, there are some benefits. To be more specific, ageing
populations
may lead to
a
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rising demand for healthcare workers and
therefore
may create job opportunities in healthcare-related fields
such
as nursing and pharmacy.
On the other hand
, compared with the negative impacts that ageing
populations
would have on economic activities in other industries, the possible growth in healthcare-related jobs would seem insignificant. In conclusion, I argue that ageing
populations
cause more problems, due to the negative effects on the social welfare system and the economy. In order to alleviate the situation, the government should extend the retirement age to prevent serious
labour
shortages. Marriage and childbearing should
also
be encouraged.
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