"Need-for-manpower" logic criticized by Kurdish immigrant Economist

[Anthropos]

Have you heard this argument in favor of immigration:

"Workforce is needed here."

Kurdish economist Tino Sanandaji, himself an immigrant in Sweden, criticizes the idea:

"Claims about lacking manpower are also nonsense because they look away from the fact that the need for manpower increases when the population increases. The unemployment office, under Social Democratic rule, pretends that there is a certain "need" for manpower independently of the number of people living in a country."

I WONDER WHAT PEOPLE ON THIS FORUM WHO HAVE OFFERED THE SAME ARGUMENT AS SUPPORT FOR THEIR PRO-IMMIGRATION STANCE WOULD HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS? FEEL FREE TO SHARE IN THIS THREAD.

I tried to find this in English somewhere on the net but I could only find this article, which is written in Swedish:

http://www.friatider.se/forskare-s-g...r-utrikesf-dda

"Påståenden om arbetskraftsbrist är också svammel som bortser från att efterfrågan på arbetskraft ökar när befolkningen växer. S-styrda Arbetsförmedlingen låtsas att det finns ett visst 'behov' av arbetskraft oberoende av folkmängden", fortsätter Sanandaji.

[Iltirbas]

This trite argument is heard of as well even in countries with insanely high unemployment rates, usually thinly disguised as a measure to address the ticking time bomb that is the Ponzi scheme which goes by the name of 'state pension budget'. It's a race to the bottom scenario where governments are in cahoots with companies with the sole mission to keep economic indices such as GDP or net exports high and increasing.

[Also]

Depends on the age distribuition of the population, if you have too many old and retired people for few young working age people people the social security system could go broke. This is what you get in a country with low fertility rate and high life expectancy for those who reached retirement age.

[Anthropos]

Depends on the age distribuition of the population, if you have too many old and retired people for few young working age people people the social security system could go broke. This is what you get in a country with low fertility rate and high life expectancy for those who reached retirement age.

That's saying that the old have the right to steal from the next generation after THEY THEMSELVES produced too few children! An unacceptable argument. Another one of those, and immigration doesn't help! It makes things still worse for those who have to take over from the degenerate old who created this era of evil, where one evil is used as an argument for more evil. Without logic or reason, not to mention of course without the slightest little bit of love and respect for the children.

[Aviator]

Automation should greatly offset the need for tons of young workers.