> How is it that its now a problem? Dealing with an average of 200k has been manageable (well, some would argue with this - we still haven't been building eno

> How is it that its now a problem? Dealing with an average of 200k has been manageable (well, some would argue with this - we still haven't been building enough houses, but leaving that aside). If you look at 2023 specifically the raw number of people was over 500k - more than double the average. It was a surge that the housing market - amongst other things - simply was not prepared for. I think the job stats are starting to reflect that these people did not suddenly all become gainfully employed, as well - I have thought for a while that there might be a more serious crash if we enter a recession because of this surge.