Decreasing fertility rates, slowing population growth and an increasing proportion of elderly people in the population base pose major challenges to Australian and Korean policy makers.
Such dramatic demographic shifts, analysts predict, will reduce economic growth, tighten labour market, affect savings and investments and impact on productivity.
How should governments respond to these challenges? What policies work?
In addressing the emerging threat, the University of Sydney will be hosting a one-day international conference in November to discuss some of the key policy issues and challenges facing both Australia and Korea today.
Funded by the Australia Korea Foundation, the conference, Generational Change and New Policy Challenges for Australia and Korea , will explore the current policy obstacles affecting both countries and what strategies are useful to help mitigate or resolve them.
Current debates and discussions on social policy tend to compare Australia with the United States and the United Kingdom.
This conference offers new perspectives on Australian society through a comparison with the Republic of Korea (ROK) in light of the importance of the relationship between the two nations.
The conference will examine the social demographic changes in both countries. It will explore how technology is affecting the ‘digital generation', those born between 1979 and 1994. It will consider the struggles of the ‘sandwich generation' in supporting their ageing parents while paying for their children's education. In addition, it will explore the social impact of the ageing in light of changing health, financial and labour needs.
The conference is relevant to business, education, government and non-government sectors interested in the effects, challenges and opportunities of demographic change.
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