The Age of Decay

The Age of Decay explores how declining fertility rates globally will lead to a shrinking workforce, and more importantly, to a reduced number of ‘essential workers’, which will massively disrupt everyday lives. Essential jobs maintain the structure that upholds society – think of plumbers, truck drivers, healthcare workers and farmworkers. When these workers are in short supply, society will start to fray. The book argues that there is a tipping point of a minimum proportion of essential workers needed to maintain societies, and when countries pass that tipping point, a cycle of decay will set in. These unfolding trends will make most of the topical issues of today – the rise of AI, geopolitical tensions, and climate change – pale in comparison.

The book explores a wide range of topics, showing why AI and technology won’t solve this problem, and the limitations of raising the retirement age. Consequently, attitudes to immigration must change, and countries will increasingly compete for a share of ‘essential labor’.