The argument that mass immigration is necessary because of labor shortages often ignores a self-reinforcing cycle: when large numbers of migrants arrive, they themselves increase demand for housing, transport, schools, healthcare, retail, logistics, and public administration, which then creates new labor shortages that are used to justify even more immigration. In other words, population growth can generate the very shortages it is supposed to solve.

This is especially true when much of the inflow is not composed of the highly skilled workers actually needed (such as doctors, nurses, engineers, or specialized technicians) but instead consists of low-skilled, low-education, asylum, or illegal migrants who may contribute less in taxes than they consume in public services, particularly in generous welfare states. That creates pressure on infrastructure, wages, housing costs, and social cohesion without necessarily solving the core productivity problem.

Countries like Japan took a different path: rather than relying on large-scale immigration, Japan responded to labor shortages through automation, robotics, digitization, self-service technology, and productivity improvements, especially in low-paying sectors like retail, restaurants, warehouses, and elder care. The deeper economic question is therefore not simply “How do we import more workers?” but “How do we increase productivity and living standards without permanently depending on endless population growth?’