Italy’s new centre-right government has come up with an innovative solution to the twin problems of an existential demographic transition: declining birth rates and a migrant invasion.

For years now, Italy’s birth rate has been far below what’s required for natural replacement, and the population has aged, plateaued, and now faces a slow but steady decline. At the same time, Italy’s shores have been awash with migrants from the Middle East and North Africa, seeking to improve their lives in the EU. Just dealing with the waves of economic refugees coming across the Mediterranean has become a major headache for the authorities.

Now the new regime has crafted a plan to kill two birds with one stone. Migrants of working age and ability will be given student loans and subsidised training in all manner of skills required by the economy. The national scheme obliges migrants to enter into a contract with the government to complete their studies or training, with the agreement to fill posts and positions afterwards, to ‘pay back’ the investment. Of course, anyone who breaks the agreement, or fails to qualify, risks losing support for healthcare and housing, and could face deportation.

The migrant training and employment scheme is designed to both counter the falling workforce as well as ensure new Italian immigrants can make a living and be productive members of society, but as could be expected, the plan has both fans and haters. Pragmatic humanitarians have hailed it as “the obvious solution to a demographic disaster” while nationalists decry “support for the invasion that is destroying our culture.”

An activist in support of migrants claimed: “It’s just a modern version of slavery. You end up being used as cheap labour, and they kick you out if you complain!”

“Nonsense,” countered the official responsible for drafting the new policy, “we don’t force anyone to come here, but if you do, you have to play by our rules.”

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