Is there any way to know how many of the 25+ age group that move to Tassie were originally from Tassie? So are the early 20s group going away for a few 'gap' years to escape island fever or going away for University before coming home?
If the early 20s Tassie people aren't returning, then I wonder how effective the increased birth rate is?

I don't see a population reducing in numbers as being a bad thing, but something every state should be aiming for, and Australia's population should be 20 million max (and could go down to 5 million) for long term sustainability.

There are countries with some of the highest standards of living in the world with a population of only 5 million.

Elderly people coming into a state to retire can be negative, but this is similar to middle aged immigrants coming into the country, and within a few years they quickly increase the number of older people in the country.

Our aging population has much to do with immigration.

The economic situation in TAS would be the same in most states except for mining and ponzi demography, which appear to be the biggest industries now in states such as QLD and NSW.

The future is less jobs, and for the majority of people to have a job, and have a sustainable society and a sustainable environment, there has to be less people.

The author makes interesting comments, but why focus on the distraction of an ageing population? It is not necessarily a bad thing to live a longer life is it?

Migrants (intrastate or international) also age, so there is no 'solution' to ageing there. It is demographic nonsense to believe that migration can keep our population young. Where does migration and population growth end if we are always pushing for more 'growth'?

If you want to deal with the root cause of Tasmania's problems, the heading should read - 'Tackling the challenge of Tasmania's lack of economic diversity'

The major focus for Tasmanian policy makers should be the development of a more diverse range of environmentally sustainable economic industries for Tasmanians - ie. for its current population. This is the thing that will help Tasmania retain its young workers - and subsequently maintain a healthy age dependency ratio.

The TFIA may be a step in the right direction, but at presents appears to be more government handouts with little in terms of tangible results. There should be a whole-of-Tasmania approach to economic diversity and community resilience, with major economic opportunities identified and nurtured.

Bringing more people to Tasmania is an inappropriate government policy in the first place, but bringing more prople to Tasmania without a diverse range of economic opportuniites is like rubbing salt into the wound of people who currently cannot find work.

Lisa Taylor "The increased births provide a known future supply of labour from which both government and enterprise can plan for, both from an educational and employment opportunities perspective"

Stable Population Party "The major focus for Tasmanian policy makers should be the development of a more diverse range of environmentally sustainable economic industries for Tasmanians"

There's a Job and Skill Expo heading towards Hobart. Call it first aid or whatever.

Parts of Tasmania have been doing it tough on the employment front as well as due to the recent bushfires with people losing their houses, and in some instances, having lost their income. That’s why Labor is lending a helping hand by providing support through income assistance and now with the Jobs and Skills Expo.

The Australian Government has delivered 69 Jobs and Skills Expos around the country, and as a result more than 24,800 Australians have found employment and many thousands have signed up for training opportunities.

So far four expos have been held in Tasmania, in Burnie and Launceston, and over 800 jobseekers have found work as a result.

This is a great chance for local people and businesses to come together and discuss job opportunities.

While Australia has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the developed world, finding a job can be daunting for some, but this Expo is a practical way of making the search for a job a bit easier.

The Expo will be held at the Derwent Entertainment Centre, Brooker Highway, Glenorchy, from 10am to 3pm on Friday, 1 March 2013.

For further information about the Australian Government Jobs and Skills Expo or for those interested in exhibiting or advertising a job vacancy or training course at the expos should call 13 11 58 or visit the website at www.humanservices.gov.au/expos

Thanks for a very interesting article, Lisa. However, I have to say I am rather skeptical regarding your fourth point concerning the opportunities for economic diversification created by the TFIA. While I mostly agree (albeit reluctantly and with some caveats) with your argument regarding the inefficiency of investing in human capital when we already have a large pool of untapped skilled labour to draw upon, I struggle to see much in the way of growth industries that Tasmania could realistically compete in given current trends in the global marketplace. We suffer from the same disadvantages Australia experiences as a whole, only more so.

We are simply too geographically remote and too small in population to sustain any kind of manufacturing sector, even taking into account Hobart's natural harbour and trends in automation that are leading to the return of some manufacturing to the USA. The latter might contribute to taxation revenue, but most of that will go to the Commonwealth, not Tasmania, and highly automated manufacturing won't provide many jobs.

In terms of service industries that don't require a physical presence such as financial services, we can't compete with the wage levels of India etc. when it comes to the low end jobs, and we don't have the population needed to compete with Sydney & Melbourne for regional HQs and high-end jobs. Apart from tourism (which isn't going to be enough) and aged care, the only sector I could see us realistically see us carving out a niche in would be ICT. Maybe. I'm sorry to be so pessimistic, since I love living in Tassie (I moved here from Perth) and have indulged in the odd spot of day-dreaming about what I would do to revitalise the Tassie economy if I was a billionaire, but it's just too small, remote and costly in terms of labour to compete in most industries.