Is Europe’s aging population a ticking time bomb? With its low birth rate and aging workforce, the continent is facing a demographic crisis that could affect its economic competitiveness and public finances.
The number of people of working age – aged between 20 and 64 – peaked in Europe in 2010. By 2035, there will be about 50 million fewer people of working age in Europe than in 2010. Demographically, Europe is the oldest continent in the world . planet.
With a shrinking workforce and an aging population increasingly retiring and relying on retirement, European policymakers will soon be faced with the unenviable task of maintaining economic growth while expanding Europe’s labor pool. And in many cases they will do so against the background of hostile public opinion about using migration as a means of balancing demographic and economic decline.
To meet this challenge, the European Union has just announced 2023 as the European Year of Skills (EYS) to give new impetus to achieving the EU’s 2030 social targets of at least 60 percent of adults in education each year and at least 78 percent in employment. But can the EU really achieve this without tapping into the potential of the continent’s largest minority group?
There are about 6 million Roma in the 27 EU countries and millions more in the wider EU candidate countries. In contrast to the region’s aging population, the demographic potential of the Roma is huge and in many cases poised to fill the gaps that come along the way.
For example, the percentage of Roma under the age of 30 in North Macedonia is almost double that of the majority population. In Romania, 59.9 percent of Roma are under the age of 30, and for the majority of the population, this figure is only 32.8 percent.
European politicians should capitalize on the potential of these often highly adaptable, multilingual and enterprising citizens as part of their EJS objectives. This would provide multiple benefits to society and provide an economic lifeline to a minority in Europe living below the poverty line. It would also avoid the need for more migrant workers from other parts of the world.
According to a long-term World Bank study published in 2019, excluding Roma communities contributes to higher costs for the national treasury. Roma integration is not just a moral obligation; demographic aging in Europe means it is also a smart economy. The benefits of Roma integration are not negligible and include the productivity gains associated with higher employment rates and labor incomes, and include tax benefits from higher tax revenues and lower social assistance expenditures.
The study also illustrated that “among Roma who have completed secondary education, the average income is much higher than the average income of Roma who have completed primary education: 83 percent higher in Bulgaria, 110 percent higher in the Czech Republic, 144 percent higher in Romania and 52 percent higher in Serbia.”
Unlocking the employment potential of this group will require EU leaders to overcome a series of domestic challenges.
First, they will have to address prejudice and prevent political parties from using populist, anti-Roma rhetoric during election campaigns. After all, democracy is about equal rights. But for many of the six million Roma in the EU, these rights are not fully granted. Roma in Europe continue to face insults and slander in the streets, media and political discourse.
Second, Member States will need to invest in the education and employment of the Roma community, which would help reduce unemployment and poverty within the communities and provide much-needed skills and talents to the local and national labor market.
Third, we need a bottom-up approach to program funding. One of the reasons for the lack of success of some EU funding programs is the application of a top-down approach that does not take into account the realities and voices of the Roma at grassroots level and is accompanied by a heavy administrative burden. Genuine and systematic consultation and involvement of Roma representatives in planning, implementing and monitoring integration measures is still lacking. Participation is limited to formal public consultations in the final phase. Many of the shortcomings identified by the Court in its 2016 special audit report are still relevant.
In addition, policymakers should support training initiatives so that Roma are not left with low-paid jobs that are vulnerable to exploitation.
The Roma Education Fund (REF) has helped more than 6,000 people find jobs in a variety of industries, from construction and carpentry to nursing, hairstyling, coding and tax office work. REF has made this possible by providing them with qualifications and skills in occupations to fill the gap in the labor market. Soft skills like writing resumes, helping to prepare for interviews, navigating the application process and improving digital literacy made a big difference. What the success of this five-year program demonstrates is that with the right support, Roma can overcome social and economic barriers to accessing education and jobs. Without support, survival becomes their goal and not necessarily development.
Last month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during the Roma Week 2023 speech that Roma in the EU still struggle to find work and housing. She is right. This has to change. According to a 2022 report by the Fundamental Rights Agency, the poverty level of Roma has not changed since 2016. Four out of five Roma are at risk of poverty. Only two in five Roma aged 20 to 64 are in paid employment, including part-time, ad hoc, self-employment or occasional work. Employment is much rarer for young Roma and women. Although housing has improved somewhat compared to 2016, half of Europe’s Roma still live in a state of housing deprivation – in damp, dark homes or homes without proper sanitation. One in five Roma households has no access to tap water in their home.
That is why the European Year of Skills, launched on Europe Day on 9 May, presents a great opportunity for national governments to include measures for education and training programs for Roma – for example, expanding pre-school coverage for Roma children, providing of scholarships and mentoring support, the provision of catch-up programs or back-to-school initiatives (as 70 percent of Roma youth drop out of school), and the inclusion of Roma history and literature in curricula. All of this will push employers to employ Roma individuals to build a just and inclusive society and reduce the exclusion of Roma from the labor market.
Europe must face the upcoming demographic time bomb and also maintain its position as a global voice championing the values of democracy. Including Roma communities will help the EU boost its economy and become a champion of human rights.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial view of Al Jazeera.