Decline in the number of young people about to enter the labour force for each person about to exit

  • On July 1, 2013, there was one person aged 15 to 24 (approximating the population about to join the labour force) for each person aged 55 to 64 (approximating the population about to exit the labour force).
  • Since the mid-1970s, there has been a decrease in the number of persons about to enter the labour force in relation to the number about to leave it. This decrease followed a period of growth between 1961 and 1975, when the large cohorts of baby boomers were reaching age 15.
  • With the aging of the population, the ratio of 15-to-24-year-olds to 55-to-64-year-olds is expected to decline during the next 10 years. It could fall below one for all growth scenarios of the most recent population projections, meaning there could be potentially more people leaving the labour force than entering it. The ratio could then rise slightly and stabilize at around one during the following three decades.

Figure 11

Description for figure 11

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