New data furnished by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has predicted that Tasmanian households would grow by a measly 25 percent over the next 25 years, which is only half of the projected growth for the whole of Australia.

The Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has sounded an alarm on the sluggish growth rate as it anticipates that such pace would be detrimental to the state's economic activities.

The chamber called on the government to act soon and devise ways to encourage people to come and settle in Tasmania, stressing that "we want young families to settle, for the population to grow and indeed for the opportunity for skilled workers to come in."

Also, the ABS figures are forecasting that Tasmanians living alone should surge by a whopping 50 percent within the same period of time as the 52,000 single households registered in 2006 is expected to break the 77,000 mark by 2013, owing to the state's growing elderly population.

Along that line, Darren Matthewson of the Aged and Community Services Tasmania urged the government to institute the necessary preparations, as it hoped that "the government would enhance our funding so that those people who are living alone without family or support around them can be assisted as early as possible."