Issue The silver economy rests on assumptions about health and retirement age

Summary

The Megatrends 2040 report expects an ageing population to create new markets and raise demand for services in fields that require innovation, such as health, infrastructure, transport, communications and technology. The growth of this so-called silver economy, however, depends on an assumption that people will live longer, stay in good health and gradually retire later. The report also expects the shrinking workforce to be offset by intensive automation from new technologies. At the same time, OECD studies cited in the report warn that ageing will strain health services, long-term care and public finances. The silver economy thus appears as an opportunity whose scale hinges on health and labor trends holding.