News
Policy Brief on Population Policy Updated
The Policy Centre has published a new edition of its Policy Brief Population Policy, to include the latest annual review of population policy.
The paper records the growth of the population over the long term but noting that the total population has now been virtually stable since 2018.
Since 2022 the Council of Ministers has been required to maintain a “common population policy” and to update that policy annually. The first policy, published in February 2022, set out the overarching aim as “to progressively reduce Jersey’s reliance on net inward migration ”. The 2023 report was largely a summary of existing policies relevant to the population and listed “actions and themes” under the headings of “develop a sustainable economy”, “plan for changing demographic” and “promote equity”.
The 2024 update, published in December 2024, identified three areas of focus:
- Data. The improved levels of analysis provided in the Statistics Jersey reporting on population issues are giving us a more detailed understanding of our resident and temporary population. Continuing to improve the collection and analysis of data to track population trends is a key priority.
- Flexibility. The Council of Ministers is committed to improving the flexibility of the island’s migration and immigration controls, to ensure that Jersey has the required workforce to maintain and build on our current standards of living.
- Ageing Well. The data clearly show a move towards an ageing island demographic. The fact we are living longer is a positive one. In this report, we lay out an Ageing Well Roadmap.
The Brief is one of 27, each of which is a succinct up-to-date summary of the current position in respect of a significant policy area such as economic trends, population, healthcare, external relations and education. The papers include links to relevant official policy documents and research.
