Demographic dilemma

Our visit to BASF’s Berlin office raised a number of interesting points:

• The role of business – it was clear that the business community is taking action to deal with a lot of the issues raised by demographic change, and that they are doing this through their own economic self interest

• Government and NGO action should complement what business is already doing, not duplicate it

• A key point was the innovative capacity of older workers. By investing in training for its staff, BASF demonstrates that innovative practices are not confined to young people. Achieving a culture in which the full capacities of older workers are recognised and respected poses the greatest challenge.

• This needs a change in attitude from everybody, including older workers themselves.

• Companies’ HR policies should focus on communicating this message and offering fuller opportunities to all staff to develop their skills and potential.

In a pick and choose society we require involvement through dialogue on issues of mutual interest. Such dialogues create sustainable relationships in which our investment will also save money.

Emily, Patrik, Bano, Orsi, Mattias, Jan, Dmitry, Anna, Djamila!

Action Plan & Conclusions

These are the points we concluded after our Real World visit to the Berlin Senate during the conference Fewer, Older, More Diverse? Europe’s Future Society, The Network Effect , Berlin 17 – 19 October 2007.

• Each region needs its own demographic solutions and strategies
• Research and knowledge about age related issues
• Strengthening intergenerational relationships: generations are not competitors, but partners in building a society that fits all
• Use the networks!
• Use the potentials of immigrants - Integration!

In many parts of Europe, the local population is ageing, partly through declining birth rates, partly because young people leave in search for employment. However, at the same time other regions are undergoing rejuvenation, not least due to the impact of immigration. In some areas of our continent, such developments even take place in parallel, leading to significant changes in the demographic and ethnic set up of the population.

How does this affect societies in Europe – their structure, their culture, their cohesion? How does it affect Europe’s relationship with a predominantly younger world, in which many countries especially in Africa and Asia have a birth rate much higher than Europe’s average?

Whilst this debate generally is dominated by valid concerns about the negative impact of ageing or shrinking populations, recently an increasing number of voices seem to highlight that smaller and more mature societies may also bring a lot of benefits – less pressure on the environment, a smaller carbon footprint, less crime, less unemployment, new markets for new products, to name but a few.