>>149448013
>Working population rapidly declines
>Companies can't fill old jobs anymore
>Have to cut back
>Economy contracts
>Old population explodes
>Any excess productivity goes to taking care of them now
>Companies have shrinking work forces and can't raise wages because the old people are sucking up the excess productivity like a sponge
>They also vote in old fucks to represent them so they suck up more and more
>Young people spend their entire lives toiling away to support the old with no prospects until they become old fucks themselves

With a managed population decline or stable population this isn't an issue, you don't need endless population growth. Birth rates are way below this point though so we're looking at this as our median-term future. The only real hopes are either that automation becomes so fucking good it produces enough wealth where this isn't an issue, or that people have enough babies to set us back on a managed decline or stable population.