台灣人口高齡化的社經衝擊

Socio-Economic Impacts of Population Aging in Taiwan

范光中(Guang-Jong Fann) ； 許永河(Yuan-Ho Hsu)

《台灣老年醫學暨老年學雜誌》 5卷3期 (2010/08) Pp. 149-168

https://doi.org/10.29461/TGG.201008.0001

摘要

高齡化是21世紀全球人口的趨勢，人口結構高齡化現象將對人類的社會制度與生活方式產生重大衝擊。本文先從人口成長概況、人口年齡組群結構變化、人口老化指數、扶養比、潛在支持比、父母贍養比以及性別結構等七個人口指數討論台灣人口高齡化的現象，瞭解我國人口高齡化所隱含的潛在社經問題。繼而以高齡化社會人口結構變動的認知為基礎，討論高齡化社會所面臨的社經挑戰。
在高齡化的趨勢下，需依據人口年齡結構建構彈性退休年齡體制方可維持勞動市場平衡；奠基於高齡人口消費型態所發展出的新興財貨與勞務市場則將提高社會資源配置效率。配合年金制度建立穩健的金融體系可以透過穩定資產價格確保高齡者的生活所需；而退休金制度的改革則可以維持健全的政府財政。提昇高齡者勞動參與率、促進技術升級則將成為高齡化社會經濟成長的有效政策方向。提供高齡者所需的健康照護則是未來政府必須面對的嚴峻考驗；透過年金制度建構社會支持系統則是政府目前需立即面對的衝擊及挑戰。

關鍵字

人口老化 ； 社經問題 ； 整合研究

並列摘要

Aging is an inevitable and irreversible demographic phenomenon of the 21(superscript st) century. It is not only a demographical trend but also a socio-economic issue triggering a series of challenges to established social norms and lifestyles no country in the world can afford to overlook. Taiwan has been an aging economy since 1993 and is inevitably among one of the economies that has to tackle the aging challenges. In this article, we first highlight seven aspects to illustrate the phenomenon of population aging in Taiwan. Based on our understanding of the stylized demographic trends in Taiwan, we proceed to characterize several social/economic impacts of population aging on the economy, including those on labor market, economic growth, commodity market, financial market, government finance, health care and social support system.
We find it imperative to establish a more flexible retirement structure so as to accommodate the changing demand and supply in the labor market of an aging economy. Based on the needs of an aging population, constructing new commodity and service market may help enhance the efficiency of resource allocation. A stable financial market reduces the fluctuation in asset value, thereby helping aged citizens live in a financially secured manner. A reform of the laborer retirement pension system is needed for the government to balance budget. Both promoting the labor force participation rate of the elderly population and expediting technological advancement are positively related to economic growth. Providing healthcare for senior citizens will be one of the most crucial measures for the government in the face of an aging population. Building up a comprehensive social-support system via the pension system, though a steep challenge for the government, will be an effective solution for the economy.

並列關鍵字

Population Aging ； Socio-Economic Issues ； Integrated Studies