Deloitte partner Chris Richardson said while bigger was not necessarily better when it came to population, skilled migration could deliver both productivity and workforce participation benefits. "Highly skilled young adults provide wider benefits ... paying tax is just one of them," he said. "Australia has come through COVID with relatively flying colours – it's quite possible there are a lot of highly educated people who want to move here." Despite the significant demand, he suspects there will be "sectoral pain" for industries due to the lower population. Loading "Pretty much every business sells – directly or indirectly – to the population. And it’s most challenging for those industries whose market size is determined by the increase in population. Their pain will linger," he said.