Census results not due until Spring
The main plank of the Government's economic plan could be wobbling, if the Island's population is shown to be in decline.
According to the Chamber of Commerce, that will be the case.
The results from the last Manx Census are not due to be published until March 2017.
Government has advocated an increase in numbers is vital to stimulate economic and infrastructure growth - with the ideal figure as high as 15,000 over the next two decades.
But Chamber president Mickey Swindale says she'll be 'very surprised' if the Island's population hasn't in fact shrunk:
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