評論
打印
The struggle of the young generation
年輕一代的掙扎
The number of under-25s out of work and claiming jobseeker's allowance has increased by more than 200,000 to 456,000, over the past year, according to the latest government figures, released last week. On the wider labour market survey measure, an alarming 18.3% of 16- to-25-year-olds are unemployed.
根據英國政府上個星期(2009年6月第三周）發布的數據顯示，去年25歲以上的失業和求職者的補貼金額增加了20多萬，達到了45.6萬英鎊。根據更廣泛的勞動市場調查顯示，更令人擔憂的是16到25歲的人群中有18.3%找不到工作。
Brendan Barber, the TUC general secretary, says: "Youth unemployment is at its highest rate for 15 years. Unemployment leaves a permanent scar on young people's lives and the government must do all it can to stop joblessness blighting another generation."
英國勞工聯合會議的秘書長布倫丹巴伯表示青年失業率達到了15年來的最高點。失業會給年輕人的人生留下永久性的創傷，政府應該盡其所能地制止失業對下一代人帶來的打擊?！?/div>
David Blanchflower, the labour market expert who recently stepped down from the Bank of England's monetary policy committee, says that even short periods of unemployment can have a longterm "scarring" effect, affecting people's job prospects for many years.
勞動力市場專家大衛布蘭費羅最近辭去了在英格蘭銀行貨幣政策委員會的職位，他說即使短期的失業也會導致長久的傷害性影響，影響人們的工作前景長達許多年。
And, unlike the many thousands of manufacturing lay-offs during the 1980s recessions, he says, a wide swathe of social groups will be hit this time, from working-class school leavers to middle-class students. "It's a call to arms for their parents and their grandparents" he says. "We need to get all parties together and say, what are we going to do about this?"
跟20世紀80年代經濟衰退時成百上千的制造業下崗不同，他說，一個廣泛的社會群體在這個時期受到了打擊，從中途輟學的工人階級到出生于中產階級的學生們?！斑@是令他們的父母和祖父母戰斗的號令，”他說道，“我們必須讓所有的政黨聯合起來，想出解決問題的辦法?！?/div>
A recent report by the CIPD revealed that nearly half of the employers it surveyed were not planning to recruit school leavers or graduates this summer. For many young adults hit by the downturn, who are relying on the generosity of parents or claiming state benefits, the normal process of growing up has been delayed: 35 is the new 25.
英國人力資源協會最近的一項報告顯示在接受調查的人中將近一半的雇主在今年夏天沒有招聘輟學者和學校畢業生的計劃。由于經濟的低迷而受打擊的年輕人依靠父母的慷慨和政府的接濟度日，正常的成長過程延緩了，35歲的人卻像個25歲的人。
While many who came of age in the 1990s were able to buy a home with a 95% or 100% mortgage and reap the windfall as it tripled in value-or, for the luckiest, stroll into a job in the City and join the ranks of the super-rich-today the concerns of many are the more prosaic ones of finding work and earning enough to pay the bills.
然而，上世紀90年代成年的人可以用95%到100%的抵押貸款買到房子，并且隨著房價上漲了3倍而大發橫財。最為幸運的人，則輕松地在城區找到工作，并加入了超級富翁的行列。而當下許多人關心的更多的是找到一份工作然后養家糊口。
Wes Streeting, president of the National Union of Students, fears that graduates emerging from university this year will fare even worse than his cohorts. He calls the Class of 2009 "generation crunch".
全國學生聯合會的主席韋斯·斯特廷擔心今年從大學畢業的學生將遭遇比他的同齡人更惡劣的境遇。他把2009的畢業生稱為“困窘的一代”。
Labour has already announced a number of measures to help: Alistair Darling promised in the budget that young people would be guaranteed a job or training place. However, with cash tight, this promise only applies to those who have already been searching for work for 12 months and Streeting says that's far too long to wait.
工黨已經宣布將實施一系列的補救措施，阿里斯代爾·達林在預算中承諾保證年輕人會得到一份工作或是接受培訓。但是，由于財政緊張，這個承諾只對已經找了12個月的工作的人有效，斯特廷說這樣的等待時間太過漫長。
"The government needs to look again at the situation facing graduates and what they can do proactively to ensure they are not sitting around becoming depressed and disgruntled because they're unable to get a job," someone says.
“政府應該重新審視畢業時面臨的困境，應該主動地確保他們不會因為找不到工作而無所事事，變得消沉不滿?！庇腥苏f道。
With jobs hard to find, young people are increasingly putting their lives on hold. The National Association of Estate Agents said last week that almost seven out of 10 would-be first-time buyers have now given up hope of ever owning their own home.
由于工作難找，許多年輕人開始暫緩自己的生活。全國房地產經紀人協會上周表示，70%的將要成為第一次買房者的人放棄擁有自己的住房的希望。
There have been some tentative signs of green shoots in the UK over recent weeks and some economists have bravely begun to suggest that we may be at the end of the beginning.
英國近幾周已經有了復蘇的初步跡象，而且有些經濟學家開始大膽的提出英國經濟也許會在年底開始復蘇。
But even if they are right, the impact of this 21st-century recession will last for many years. Just as the hardship of postwar rationing taught a generation of Britons to waste not, want not, grow their own and make ends meet, today's youngsters are learning tough lessons that will last a lifetime.
但就算他們是對的，21世紀大蕭條的影響還會持續很多年。就像戰后因配給供應的困難而使英國的一代人不浪費、不奢求、自食其力、量人為出一樣，當今的年輕人也吸取了令他們終生受益的艱難的教訓。
| 重點單詞 | 查看全部解釋 | |||
| stroll | [strəul] |
想一想再看 n. 閑逛，漫步 |
聯想記憶 | |
| scar | [skɑ:] |
想一想再看 n. 疤痕，傷痕，斷崖 |
||
| prosaic | [prəu'zeiik] |
想一想再看 adj. 散文的，單調的，無趣的 |
聯想記憶 | |
| reap | [ri:p] |
想一想再看 vt. 收割，收獲，獲得 |
||
| permanent | ['pə:mənənt] |
想一想再看 adj. 永久的，持久的 |
聯想記憶 | |
| estate | [is'teit] |
想一想再看 n. 財產，房地產，狀態，遺產 |
聯想記憶 | |
| fare | [fɛə] |
想一想再看 n. 路費，食物 |
聯想記憶 | |
| prospects |
想一想再看 n. 預期；前景；潛在顧客；遠景展望 |
|||
| generosity | [.dʒenə'rɔsiti] |
想一想再看 n. 慷慨，大方 |
聯想記憶 | |
| survey | [sə:'vei] |
想一想再看 v. 調查，檢查，測量，勘定，縱覽，環視 |
