如何平衡好工作和家庭，是每个人都要面对的问题。弹性工作能让人更好地照顾家庭，所以受到很多人的欢迎。
Flexible schedules are attracting more workers
by Russ Wiles
Imagine working whenever you want so that you can find the time to take care of kids or elderly parents. Or maybe just because you don't like punching a 9-to-5 time card.
imagine /ɪˈmædʒɪn/ v. 想象
punch /pʌntʃ/ v. 击打、打孔（这里指上下班打卡）
More people are citing flexibility, including temporary assignments, as a key workplace desire – a trend that appears likely to continue thanks partly to technological advances. These individuals look for "work that they enjoy, fewer hours, more flexibility, and less stress," wrote researchers at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College in a recent blog post.
cite /saɪt/ v. 提及（原因）
flexibility /ˌfleksəˈbɪləti/ n. 灵活性
temporary /ˈtemp(ə)r(ə)ri/ adj. 临时的、临时性的
assignment /əˈsaɪnmənt/ n. 工作、任务
key /kiː/ adj. 关键的
workplace /ˈwɜːkpleɪs/ n. 工作场所（由work和place组成）
desire /dɪˈzaɪə(r)/ n. 渴望、强烈的愿望
technological /ˌteknəˈlɒdʒɪk(ə)l/ adj. 技术的（由technology加后缀-ical变成形容词）
advance /ədˈvɑːns/ n. 进步
individual /ˌɪndɪˈvɪdʒuəl/ n. 个人、个体
researcher /rɪˈsɜːtʃə(r)/ n. 研究者（由research加上表示人的后缀-er）
retirement /rɪˈtaɪəmənt/ n. 退休（由retire加后缀-ment变成名词）
blog /blɒɡ/ n. 博客
post /pəʊst/ n. （网上的）贴子
Flexible-schedule positions often overlap with "gig" or short-term jobs, as both typically deviate（偏离） from traditional 40-hour-a-week employment. The two developments often intersect（交织） with telecommuting（远程办公） and other ways of getting jobs done outside of a standard office, store or factory setting.
flexible /ˈfleksəb(ə)l/ adj. 灵活的
schedule /ˈʃedjuːl/ n. 日程安排
position /pəˈzɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 职位
overlap /ˌəʊvəˈlæp/ v. 重叠
gig /ɡɪɡ/ n. 零工
short-term 短期的
typically /ˈtɪpɪk(ə)li/ adv. 往往、常常
employment /ɪmˈplɔɪmənt/ n. 雇佣、就业
standard /ˈstændəd/ adj. 标准的
setting /ˈsetɪŋ/ n. 环境、场景
At large employers with 1,000 or more workers, the proportion of contingent（视情况而定的）, non-traditional jobs has risen to about 22% on average, stable over the past couple years but roughly double the percentage from a decade earlier, according to Staffing Industry Analysts, an employment-research firm. "Other surveys suggest that the number of freelancers（自由职业者）, used by companies of all sizes, is rising," said Jon Osborne, vice president of strategic research at Staffing Industry Analysts.
employer /ɪmˈplɔɪə(r)/ n. 雇主、用人单位
proportion /prəˈpɔːʃ(ə)n/ n. 比例、份额
non- 前缀，表示否定
stable /ˈsteɪb(ə)l/ adj. 稳定的
roughly /ˈrʌfli/ adv. 大约
percentage /pəˈsentɪdʒ/ n. 百分比
decade /ˈdekeɪd/ n. 十年
staffing /ˈstɑːfɪŋ/ n. 人事、用人
analyst /ˈænəlɪst/ n. 分析师
survey /ˈsɜːveɪ/ n. 问卷调查
suggest /səˈdʒest/ v. 表明
vice president 副总裁
strategic /strəˈtiːdʒɪk/ adj. 战略的、策略的（由strategy加后缀-ic变成形容词）
Flexible-schedule jobs, including temporary gig positions, are one way employers have scrambled to fill vacancies in a tight labor market. Yet the trend could be permanent, even when the job market softens, said Travis Laird, a regional vice president at staffing agency Robert Half in Phoenix. "A lot of people just don't like being on an eight-hour shift," he said. "They like to turn on or off the work clock, when they want."
scramble /ˈskræmb(ə)l/ v. 争夺
vacancy /ˈveɪk(ə)nsi/ n. 职位空缺
tight /taɪt/ adj. 紧的、紧俏的
labor /ˈleɪbə(r)/ n. 劳动力
yet /jet/ conj. 然而
permanent /ˈpɜːmənənt/ adj. 长久的、永久的
soften /ˈsɒf(ə)n/ v. 软化（由soft加后缀-en变成动词；这里指不再紧俏）
regional /ˈriːdʒ(ə)n(ə)l/ adj. 地区的（由region加后缀-al变成形容词）
Phoenix /ˈfiːnɪks/ n. 菲尼克斯（也译做凤凰城，美国西南部城市）
shift /ʃɪft/ n. （轮班工作的）班次
Laird credits technology, especially cell-phone apps, for making it easier for employers to connect with workers for flexible scheduling or for people to pursue other business opportunities on their own. Several cell-phone apps allow people to search for part-time or gig jobs, sometimes just hours before they need to be filled.
credit /ˈkredɪt/ v. 把…归功于
cell phone 手机
app /æp/ n. （手机上的）应用程序
schedule /ˈʃedjuːl/ v. 安排日程
pursue /pəˈsjuː/ v. 追求
opportunity /ˌɒpəˈtjuːnəti/ n. 机会
part-time 兼职的
A desire for flexibility cuts across demographic lines, said Laird. It includes middle-aged workers and baby boomers now reaching traditional retirement years. "One thing that nearly all categories of workers agree on is the growing importance of adaptive work schedules," said a recent report by Mercer, a workplace research and consulting company.
demographic /ˌdeməˈɡræfɪk/ adj. 人口的（cut across demographic lines指影响各种各样的人）
baby boomer /ˈbuːmə(r)/ 指二战之后的婴儿潮时期出生的人
category /ˈkætəɡri/ n. 类别
adaptive /əˈdæptɪv/ adj. 有适应能力的（由adapt加后缀-ive变成形容词）
consult /kənˈsʌlt/ v. 咨询
In a survey conducted by Mercer, 54% of respondents said managing work/life balance is one of the top things their companies can do for them. That was up from 40% in 2018 and 26% in 2017. That sentiment is "reflected in the 82% of employees saying that they would be willing to consider working on a freelance（自由职业的） basis," the Mercer report said.
conduct /kənˈdʌkt/ v. 实施
respondent /rɪˈspɒndənt/ n. 回答问题的人
balance /ˈbæl(ə)ns/ n. 平衡
sentiment /ˈsentɪmənt/ n. 观点、看法
reflect /rɪˈflekt/ v. 反映
employee /ɪmˈplɔɪiː/ n. 雇员、员工
willing /ˈwɪlɪŋ/ adj. 愿意的、乐意的
basis /ˈbeɪsɪs/ n. 方式
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