Think Tank: Mass immigration wrecking Australia’s productivity

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Macro Business has long argued that the mass immigration ‘Big Australia’ policy is a drain on the nation’s productivity.

Australia's net overseas migration

Australia’s population has risen by more than six million people this century on the back of this extreme immigration. At the same time, business investment has collapsed:

Non-mining business investment
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This immigration boom, therefore, has reduced the stock of capital per worker resulting in “capital shallowing” and a decline in productivity:

Australian labour productivity growth

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About the author
Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.