Issue Migration infrastructure holds value even if automation advances

Summary

EY rejects the idea that automation will make migration systems unnecessary. Automation reshapes jobs rather than wiping out whole occupations, and fields such as healthcare, elder care, construction and skilled trades will still require physical presence and human judgment long after AI matures. Japan illustrates the point, as it leads in care robotics yet still expects severe caregiver shortages through 2040. Mature migration systems give countries flexibility to adjust inflows once the real effect of automation becomes clear, whereas countries without them face shortages now or expensive emergency building later. With baby boomers retiring and parts of East Asia facing an even steeper demographic drop, EY describes migration infrastructure as a bridge that works immediately and whose benefits compound over decades.