ONE of two serious challenges facing the nation according to Gordon Cann (Letters, May 22) is our nation’s ageing population.

A report by think-tank Global Futures was quoted suggesting a need for 200,000 net annual migration to keep the nation’s economy running properly.

This raised the question from Bob Woodland (Letters, June 2) ‘Can Global Future tell us where they are all going to live’?

The Global Future analysis is quite compelling. For instance, the workforce building the houses we already require are not keeping up with demand. Yet these workers are naturally getting older by the year and over the next decade will be retiring at a rate of 40,000 a year.

This is twice the number of new workers entering the building industry. And remember, the industry is not keeping up with demand so needs even more than 40,000 new workers a year.

And the same situation exists across many, many more of our industries. Our ageing population is indeed a big challenge that should be taken seriously.

So if we do not import skilled construction workers, it will not be a question of ‘where are THEY going to live’? It will be ‘where are WE going to live’?

DR MARTIN RODGER

Bloxworth Road, Poole

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