在当前的危机中，一向热衷裁员的美国公司是否应该变得更欧洲化？

【外刊精读】https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/E_bNHpHyZ9Q-oW0S3nZI8A

Should American job-cullers become more European during the current crisis?

在当前的危机中，一向热衷裁员的美国公司是否应该变得更欧洲化？

正文：

IN MID-FEBRUARY Hilton, a hotelier, and its employees had something to celebrate. For the second year running the company came top in Fortune magazine’s list of best American companies to work for. The perks provided to its 62,000 direct employees in America included extended parental leave, Under Armour-branded uniforms and facilities to let travelling staff shipbreast milk home. A mere six weeks later, on March 26th, tens of thousands of those pampered employees were given notice that they would be thrown out of workbecause of the covid-19 pandemic. That was the day weekly jobless claims in America spiked by 1,000% to 3.3m.

二月中旬，希尔顿酒店集团和它的员工们还欢欣鼓舞。这家公司连续第二年荣登《财富》杂志评选的美国最佳雇主排行榜榜首。它在美国的6.2万名直接雇员享受的福利包括加长育儿假、安德玛（Under Armour）品牌制服，以及帮助出差员工把母乳发送回家的便利安排。仅仅六周后，数万名养尊处优的员工在3月26日接到通知，他们将因为新冠肺炎疫情而被停职。当天，美国一周内申请失业救济的人数急升1000%，达到330万人。

解析：

work for被…雇用着; 为…尽力; 参加

parental leave亲子假

staff ship司令舰

breast milk母乳

out of work失业的; 下岗的

正文：

The stratospheric surge of Americans seeking unemployment benefitscontrasts with the situation in western Europe. Companies there are struggling just as hard but many are keeping workers on the books at reduced pay. That is a familiar story. In times of economic upheaval, European firms rely extensively on schemes in which the government picks up part of the wage bill, such as Germany’sKurzar-

beit, France’s chômage partiel and Italy’s cassa integrazione. Traditionally, America has shunned such feather-bedding. From frontier days its labour laws have given employers leave to cull jobs almost at will. Not for nothing did the country elect a president whose catchphrase was “You’re fired!”

美国申请失业救济的人数暴增，与西欧的情况形成了对比。西欧的企业虽然也在苦苦挣扎，但许多公司还是让员工减薪留职。这种做法很常见。在经济动荡时期，欧洲公司普遍依赖政府推出负担部分工资的方案，例如德国的“缩短工时”（Kurzarbeit）、法国的“部分失业”（chômage partiel）和意大利的“工资补偿基金”（cassa integrazione）。一直以来，美国对这种保护劳动者的做法绕道而行。从开拓边疆的年代开始，美国劳动法就允许雇主几乎随心所欲地裁员。这个国家选出了一位口头禅是“你被炒了！”的总统并不是偶然的。

解析：

unemployment benefits失业补贴; 失业救济金; unemployment benefit的复数

on the books载入名册；有记载；有案可查

In times of在…的时刻; 在…的时期

economic upheaval经济动荡；经济震荡

leave to留某事给…处理

for nothing免费; 无酬劳；无结果

economic upheaval

英 [ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪk ʌpˈhiːvl]   美 [ˌiːkəˈnɑːmɪk ʌpˈhiːvl]  

经济动荡；经济震荡

eg：

The two-party system is falling victim to 

social and economic upheaval. 

两党制正沦为社会和经济动荡的牺牲品。

正文：

In the current crisis it may seem fair to ask American firms to take a more European approach. After all, business activity has collapsed not because of slothful work habits, but because governments have ordered people to stay at home. This is not a slumpthat needs to be fixed with an orgy of creative destruction in the jobs market. And however deep the downturn, the rebound could be relatively quick. If so, it makes sense for companies and employees to maintain ties, so that production can resume briskly when things improve.

在当前的危机中，让美国公司更多地效仿欧洲似乎公平合理。毕竟，商业活动停摆并不是因为低效的工作习惯，而是因为政府勒令人们待在家中。这并不是一场需要在就业市场中大举展开创造性破坏才能治愈的衰退。而尽管衰退严重，反弹可能也相对较快。如果是这样，公司和员工维持关系就合情合理，这样一旦局面好转，就可以迅速恢复生产。

解析：

After all毕竟; 居然; 终究; 竟然;居然

business activity企业活动；营业情况；商业状况，经营活动

slothful懒散的; 怠惰的

stay at停留在…

slump骤降，猛跌，锐减; 重重地坐下; 萧条期; 衰退

If so如果这样; 要是那样的话

so that因此; 以便

briskly轻快地；活泼地

正文：

Yet one feature of this crisis in fact makes it all the moreimportant to maintain flexible labour practices: the jobs market has bifurcated. In industries that bring people together, such ashotels, airlines, casinos and restaurants, demand for workers has collapsed. Those that provide access to health care (such as hospitals), staples (supermarkets) or services catering to those stuck at home (e-commerce) are clamouring for more staff. For allthe merits of Europe’s labour-support programmes, the risk is that they last too long and dissuade workers from switching to industries where their help is badly needed.

然而，这场危机的一个特点实际上凸显了保持灵活就业的重要性：就业市场已经分化。酒店、航空、赌场和餐馆等人群积聚的行业对劳动力的需求一落千丈。而那些提供医疗服务（如医院）、生活必需品（超市）或者顺应隔离生活的服务（电商）则急于增添人手。欧洲的劳工支持计划虽有其优点，但风险在于持续时间过长，阻碍了劳动者转移到人手紧缺的行业。

解析：

in fact事实上，其实; 准确地说;确切地说

all the more更加

such as例如; 像; 象…这样; 诸如…之类

demand for要求

access to接近，去…的通路，使用…的机会

health care医疗

at home像在家一样舒适自在;无拘束

clamouring大声地要求; 大声地喊叫，呼叫; clamour的现在分词

For all虽然;尽管

正文：

Already the response of American firms to the jobs crisis is taking an unfamiliar route. Though many of the small businesses that provide about half of private-sector employment in America were quickly forced to let workers go to survive, the government hasstepped in to ease the pain. Its $2trn support programme hastemporarily increased unemployment benefits. A $350bn lifeline to small businesses within the stimulus package encourages them to cling on to staff if they can.

面对就业危机，美国企业已经开始改变惯常的做法。在提供了美国私营部门约半数岗位的小企业中，尽管有很多都被迫迅速裁员求存，但政府已经介入以缓和局面。政府两万亿美元的救助方案临时提高了失业救济。经济刺激方案中为小企业发放的3500亿美元救助贷款也鼓励它们尽可能保留员工。

解析：

unfamiliar陌生的; 不熟悉的; 不认识的; 无…的知识

stepped迈步; 踩; 踏; 行走; step的过去分词和过去式

support programme支架程序

temporarily暂时

lifeline救生索; 信号绳; 命脉; 生命线

encourages支持; 鼓励; 激励; 鼓动; 劝告; 怂恿; 促进; 助长; 刺激; encourage的第三人称

英 [ɪnˈkʌrɪdʒɪz]   美 [ɪnˈkɜːrɪdʒɪz]  

v.

支持;鼓励;激励;鼓动;劝告;怂恿;促进;助长;刺激

encourage的第三人称单数

eg：

Such secrecy breeds and encourages fear and suspicion 

如此保密的做法滋生并加剧了人们的恐惧和疑虑。

正文：

Some bigger American firms, such as Hilton, its rivals like Hyatt and Marriott, and retailers such as Macy’s and Gap, are taking a different tack. Instead of sacking staff, they have announced that tens of thousands of their employees will be furloughed, which in America means being put on unpaid leave. Crucially, the furloughed workers get to keep their company health insurance. They can also, in most cases, claim unemployment benefits. To ease resentments, those who remain in work, including executives, will suffer pay cuts.

一些更大型的美国公司，比如希尔顿及其竞争对手凯悦和万豪，还有梅西百货和盖璞（Gap）这样的零售商，正在采取另一种策略。它们没有直接裁员，而是宣布数以万计的员工将被暂时解雇，在美国这意味着员工要开始无薪休假。至关重要的是，这些停职的员工得以保留在公司的医疗保险。多数情况下他们还可以申请失业救济。为了缓解怨恨情绪，包括高管在内的留在岗位上的员工将被减薪。

解析：

Instead of代替; 作为…的替换

health insurance健康保险；健康险

in most cases不论怎样说; 在大多数情况下; 一般地

unemployment benefits失业补贴; 失业救济金; unemployment benefit的复数

nemployment benefits

英 [ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪmənt ˈbenɪfɪts]   美 [ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪmənt ˈbenɪfɪts]  

n.

失业补贴(或津贴);失业救济金

unemployment benefit的复数

eg：

Unemployment benefits are directly related to previous earnings. 

失业救济金的额度与以前的收入有直接关系。

正文：

The use of furloughs represents a change from previous slumps, says Sandra Sucher of Harvard Business School. Common in Europe during the financial crisis of 2007-09, they were barely used in America. Since then, however, many American firms who laid off workers found subsequent rehiring so difficult that they are loth to suffer the ordeal again, she says.

哈佛商学院的桑德拉·苏切尔（Sandra Sucher）指出，采用暂时解雇体现出一种不同于以往经济萧条期的转变。2007至2009年金融危机期间，这种操作在欧洲十分常见，在美国几乎不被采用。她说，自那以后，许多缩编的美国公司发现随后的重新招聘非常困难，它们再也不想遭这份罪了。

解析：

furloughs休假; 准假; 准…休假; furlough的第三人称单数和复数

change from换下衣服; 使从…变成

slumps骤降，猛跌，锐减; 重重地坐下; 萧条期; 衰退; slump的第三人称单数和复数

financial crisis金融危机

laid off下岗；解雇

loth不乐意的; 不情愿的; 勉强的

financial crisis

英 [faɪˈnænʃl ˈkraɪsɪs]   美 [faɪˈnænʃl ˈkraɪsɪs]  

金融（财政）危机

eg：

This financial crisis had a much greater impact on Main Street. 

这次金融危机对老百姓的影响更为深远。

正文：

Another difference with past recessions is the way American firms are encouraging inactive workers to switch jobs to fill temporary vacancies in other industries. Hilton, for instance, is helping its suspended workers to apply for jobs at e-commerce firms like Amazon. This may help keep the labour market relatively fluid at a time ofsevere stress. (Amid employee absences and increased orders, some workers at Amazon, for instance, are demanding better conditions.) It is also well-suited to the time horizons of the pandemic. As social-distancing measures recede, some of the disease-specific demand for labour will ebb, enabling workers to return to their old jobs.

与以往经济衰退的另一点不同是，美国企业现在鼓励闲下来的员工转换工作，去其他行业填补临时空缺。例如，希尔顿正帮助停职的员工去亚马逊等电商求职。在压力巨大的时期，这也许有助于保持劳动力市场的相对流动性。（比如，由于员工缺勤和订单增加，亚马逊的部分员工已经在要求提高待遇。）此举还十分适合这场大流行病的变迁历程。随着社交隔离措施撤销，一些与疫情相关的劳动力需求会回落，劳动者自然也就可以回到原来的工作岗位上。

解析：

for instance例如;譬如

apply for申请

labour market劳动力市场

at a time依次; 每次

severe stress极端压力

recede逐渐远离; 渐渐远去; 逐渐减弱; 慢慢变小; 头发停止生长，变秃

some of中的一些; 其中一些; 其中的一些

demand for要求

return to回到; 返回; 还给; 降到

recede

英 [rɪˈsiːd]   美 [rɪˈsiːd]  

v.

逐渐远离;渐渐远去;逐渐减弱;慢慢变小;(头顶前部)头发停止生长，变秃

第三人称单数：recedes现在分词：receding过去式：receded过去分词：receded

eg：

Just as I started to think that I was never going to get well, the illness began to recede 

正当我开始觉得自己永远都好不了了的时候，我的病开始好转了。