Birth Rate Poses Looming Economic Cloud

Photo Credit: bradbrundageChina’s got a shortage of workers, impacting its economy, because of the nation’s years-long limit of one child per family and Russia’s Vladimir Putin fears his nation may lose influence and power as a result of the declining population.

Now the forecast is out that the U.S. economy could come under stress in the future – because of a lack of babies.

Jonathan V. Last, author of “What to Expect When No One’s Expecting: America’s Coming Demographic Disaster,” believes the U.S. is in for a rocky ride in the next few years – demographically.

“We’ve seen a decline in fertility going back to the foundation of this country,” said Last. “The only interruption we had was the Baby Boom.

“This uninterrupted fertility decline has stabilized in recent years, but only because we had a massive influx of Mexican immigrants propping us up. We look much like Eastern Europe without them,” said Last.