> Demographics changes means there simply aren't enough bodies to become nurses.

True. This is a direct consequence of people refusing to have kids. What may be a sensible decision at an individual level is going to have disastrous consequences for societies; particularly the advanced homogeneous ones who have the unique combination of falling birthrates, generous welfare programs which need taxpayers and who are averse to immigrants from a very different culture.

Countries like USA should fare relatively better since it is easy to assimilate young people from any other country. My prediction is that small nation states in Western/Northern Europe will be the first ones to break.

Society should pay more to have kids then.

Scandinavia has some of the most generous benefits to have kids. And yet...

Canada is a terrible example. Like 90% of applicants who try to get into nursing school are rejected... Plus wages should be higher. Plus the work kind of sucks. It's a crisis that's *entirely* our governments' doing.

Indeed. This problem was foreseen years ago, and the fix is easy. Increase seats in schools, pay more, provide better hours. It's not rocket science. The resistance comes from just not wanting to do any of things because its expensive.

Demographics can cause aggregate worker shortage, but not enough that industrial poilcy can't fully staffing specific sectors.