CALLS for Jersey to “invest in local skills” and help businesses attract and retain talent have been renewed after new population and migration data highlighted the Island’s ageing demographic and falling birth rate.
The latest report from Statistics Jersey states that without migration, the working-age population would have fallen every year since 2012 by an average of 240 people per year due to ageing and deaths [full story on page 8].
The number of residents with a temporary work permit has increased from less than 100 at the end of 2019, to 1,740 people at the end of 2024.
In the same period, the number of Islanders aged 65 years and over grew by 12% while the number of under 16-year-olds fell by 7%.
The data’s release also comes in the wake of concerns over the Island’s falling birth rate, with 720 births to Jersey-resident mothers recorded in 2024 – the lowest number since records began in 1995.
Chamber of Commerce chief executive Murray Norton said: “The latest figures confirm that Jersey is becoming an older island, with fewer births, more deaths, and continued growth in the over 65 population.
“Without inward migration the working age population would already be in decline, making migration essential to balance the dependency ratio and sustain our workforce.”
Mr Norton continued: “A shrinking population would place real pressure on tax revenues, public services, and the wider economy.
“Meeting this challenge requires more than just housing, though sufficient homes are vital. We must also invest in local skills, support businesses in attracting and retaining talent, and strengthen childcare and family support so that both Islanders and new arrivals can contribute fully to our economy.”
Sir Mark Boleat – who helps shape the work of local think-tank Policy Centre Jersey – described the fall in births as a “very significant trend”.
“It’s already having an effect on education,” he continued.
“Talking with people running primary schools and nurseries now, they’re seeing this reduction, which has been going on for some years now, beginning to come through in numbers of children.”
