Fortunately there is a time window, of about a decade, during which the population of working age will be at a historic high.

ECONOMIST: Forever young

Since 1997, inactivity has stuck at just over a fifth of the working-age population.

ECONOMIST: Labour's economic claims

Greg Ward, of the council's economic development unit, thinks investors had been put off by the city's high employment rate, which stood at just over 80% of the working-age population in 2008.

ECONOMIST: Looking for an upside to the downturn

As economist John Lott noted at FoxNews.com on October 5, the working age population grew by 206, 000 last month.

FORBES: Move up http://i.forbesimg.com t Move down

The elderly on Medicare and the poor on Medicaid use more medical services, and therefore are at greater risk for poor care, than the working-age population.

FORBES: If You Want to Stop Hospital Harm, Don't Call a Capitalist

The latest figures show that unemployment in the Falkirk areas stands at about 2, 872 - or 3% of the working age population.

BBC: Human cost of economic slowdown

With the working age population on the rise, it said employment levels before the downturn would not be regained until at least 2020.

BBC: 'Slow recovery' for Scots jobs market, economists warn