Stan Veuger on the Economic Risks of Population Decline

About this episode

Stan Veuger discusses the economic implications of the slowdown in US population growth and its effects on the labor market and interest rates.

Changes in foreign migration caused US population growth to slow last year and potentially turn negative in 2026. Federal programs and private debt markets structured around an assumption of growth must now contend with the possibility of a shrinking labor force. Meanwhile, Fed officials have become remarkably sanguine amid near-zero job growth, convinced the labor market remains curiously in balance because of changes in the labor supply. In this episode, we talk with Stan Veuger, Senior Fellow in Economic Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, about the abrupt slowdown in US population growth, what it means for breakeven job growth, and how current trends will impact future interest rates.

People in this episode

Host: Will Compernolle

Guest: Stan Veuger

Topics covered

• population decline
• economic risks
• labor market
• interest rates
• migration
• job growth

Keywords

• population growth
• economic policy
• labor force
• job market
• interest rates
• migration trends
• debt markets

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: American Enterprise Institute

Places: US

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