Factors Influencing the Size of the Labour Force - 2

The size of a country's population is influenced by the birth rate and the death rate. (Both of these are usually expressed as some number per thousand population per year.)
The rate of natural increase of the population is the rate at which births exceed deaths.

The birth rate is influenced by the number of women in the population who are in their child bearing years and the percentage of these women who use family planning and contraceptive methods to limit the number and timing of their pregnancies. Social attitudes also effect the birth rate; more women today are joining the work force than ever before, and family sizes in Australia have fallen steadily of the past thirty years.

The death rate is influenced by the age distribution of the population and by the level and availability of health care in the community. As medical science has developed, death rates around the world have fallen rapidly. Much of this fall in death rates is due to preventative measures, such as widespread immunization of children, and access to clean water supplies.