Immigration no doubt is the major contributor to the population growth in Australia. Since 1970, the average number of children an Australian woman has is below two, and yet the country’s population has spurred by 70%. The number of newcomers continues to grow too, making Australia the country that admits more migrants than any big Western country.
An article that appeared in The Economist recently talks about the pros and cons of this increasing immigration. While it mentions skills shortage, unemployment, increasing property prices, commuting and traffic issues, xenophobia and Pauline Hanson; it also quotes Australia’s Productivity Commission findings saying that there has been no evidence that migrants suppress wages or displace locals from jobs.
Despite all these concerns, Australia continues to welcome the largest number of migrants, consistently holding on to the status of one of the most diverse societies in the world.