Column: Famous On Demographic Change
[Column written by MP Chris Famous]
Any jurisdiction with a population similar to Bermuda’s and a growing economy is facing many of the same demographic challenges we are experiencing today:
- Aging populations
- Low birth rates
- Housing affordability pressures
- Fewer young people entering technical trades and the hospitality industry
On one hand, it is a positive development that people are living longer. However, countries must adapt to support this reality by providing more senior-focused housing, healthcare services, and pension support. The challenge is that if a growing number of seniors are no longer participating in the workforce, who will continue contributing to the pension and healthcare systems that support them?
The answer has traditionally been younger generations. Yet if a country is not producing enough young people to fill available jobs, who will do the work needed to keep the economy functioning? Increasingly, the answer is imported labour.
Consider Bermuda’s own experience. In 2007, Bermuda had approximately 18,000 guest workers. In 2026, that number stands at roughly 10,000. In reality, we have only about 50 to 60 percent of the guest worker population that existed nearly 20 years ago.
This is why the claim that Bermuda is suddenly being inundated with foreign workers does not actually align with the numbers.
What has changed is not the overall volume of guest workers. What has changed is which regions our guest workers come from. Why has this happened?
Countries with high birth rates will continue to supply the labour needs of Bermuda and the region
Many of our guest workers used to originate from the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States and Canada, and even parts of the Caribbean. They too are now facing the same demographic challenges we are. They too are dealing with aging populations, low birth rates, and shortages of young people willing to enter medical, technical trades and hospitality careers.
As a result, those countries are also competing internationally for skilled labour.
The regions with stronger population growth today are increasingly found in parts of Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific. Many countries in these regions continue to maintain birth rates above the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman. They also have large numbers of young people pursuing medical, technical and vocational professions.
The reality for Bermuda is that the number of guest workers has not dramatically increased over the past two decades. What has changed is the demographic makeup of that workforce.
This is not a uniquely Bermudian phenomenon. It is part of a broader global shift in labour markets, driven by demographic change. Countries with aging populations and low birth rates increasingly find themselves in the exact same position as us.
- Chris Famous, MP for Constituency #11, Devonshire East
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