Zoomers, zeros and Gen Z

　　遠程辦公者、零工一族以及Z世代

　　The pandemic has widened two divides in thelabour market

　　新冠疫情將進一步拉大就業(yè)市場的兩大鴻溝

　　Countries are beginning to emerge fromeconomic lockdown. As they do, the statistics show how different segments ofthe population have been affected by the pandemic. And the evidence is clearthat the virus has widened existing divides between professionals, low-paidworkers and the young.

　　各國的經(jīng)濟正在走向復(fù)蘇。與此同時，我們透過統(tǒng)計數(shù)據(jù)能夠看到疫情對不同階層的人們所造成的影響。有確鑿證據(jù)顯示，新冠病毒進一步拉大了專業(yè)工作者、低薪工人和年輕人之間本就存在的鴻溝。

　　Start with the most fortunate. Manyprofessionals can easily work at home, replacing one-to-one meetings with phonecalls and group meetings with Zoom gatherings or Google hangouts. These“Zoomers” are mostly working on full pay and are currently being spared thedaily commute. For them, the lockdown may be an inconvenience (particularly ifthey have children) but it is not a threat to their standards of living.

　　先說說最幸運的人。許多專業(yè)工作者可以輕松地在家辦公，以打電話的方式代替一對一面談，以 Zoom 會議和 Google 會議代替小組會議。這些“遠程辦公者”不僅拿著全額薪金，還免去了日常通勤的麻煩。對他們來說，封鎖措施可能確實會帶來不便(尤其對于有小孩的家庭來說)，但不至于影響他們的生活水平。

　　For many others, however, the pandemic is aserious threat. Some are key workers, who have to attend their jobs and are atmore risk from the virus. Others cannot work from home and have either losttheir jobs or seen their incomes cut (despite help from government schemes).Many in this group were already in a weaker position than the Zoomers, becausethey were in jobs with lower wages or less security.

　　但對于其他許多人來說，這場疫情卻嚴(yán)重威脅著生計。有些關(guān)鍵崗位的工人必須親臨現(xiàn)場，他們感染新冠病毒的風(fēng)險更大。還有些人由于工作無法在家完成，他們要么丟了工作，要么收入減少(盡管政府也有援助計劃)。這個群體中的許多人相較于那些遠程辦公者而言本身就處于弱勢地位，他們往往從事著低收入或高風(fēng)險的工作。

　　Some people in this less fortunate groupcan be dubbed the “zeros”. In Britain, almost three-quarters of those onzero-hours contracts are key workers or work in shut-down sectors, says theResolution Foundation, a think-tank.

　　在這個不幸的群體中，有些人可以被稱作“零工一族”。據(jù)智庫決議基金會稱，在英國，近四分之三拿著零工時合同的工人就職于關(guān)鍵崗位或已停工行業(yè)。

　　A further clue to the toll on the low-paidcame from the latest American non-farm payroll figures. Average hourly earningsrose by 4.7% in April, the biggest monthly gain on record. That sounds likegood news but isn’t.

　　最新的美國非農(nóng)就業(yè)數(shù)據(jù)進一步凸顯了低薪工人所受的影響。今年4月，美國的平均時薪上漲了4.7%，創(chuàng)下了自有記錄以來的最大月增幅。這聽起來像是個好消息，但事實并非如此。

　　It is the result of low-wage workers losingjobs in sectors like hospitality. The same trend can be seen in Britain, wherethe average wage of those in shut-down sectors is less than half of thoseworking at home, according to the Resolution Foundation.

　　這一結(jié)果是由于酒店等行業(yè)的低薪工人失業(yè)所致。英國也面臨著同樣的情況，據(jù)決議基金會的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，那些就職于已停工行業(yè)的工人的平均工資還不及那些在家辦公者的一半。

　　The mortality rates make even grimmer news.The low-paid (and ethnic minorities) have suffered most. Figures from Britain’sOffice for National Statistics showed that death rates of security guards, careworkers and bus drivers were much higher than average, while those in“professional occupations” had death rates well below the mean.

　　更讓人感到悲傷的是有關(guān)死亡率的數(shù)據(jù)。低收入人群(及少數(shù)族裔)有著更高的死亡率。據(jù)英國國家統(tǒng)計局的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，保安、護工和公交車司機的死亡率遠高于平均水平，而那些專業(yè)技術(shù)人員的死亡率則遠低于平均水平。

　　Another great divide is between thosealready established in the workforce and Generation Z—those born in the late1990s and early 2000s who are now coming of age. They are entering a job marketextremely hostile to their prospects. Around 30% of British employees agedunder 25 worked in one of the shut-down sectors, according to the Institute forFiscal Studies, another think-tank, compared with 13% of those aged over 25.

　　另一條巨大的鴻溝則存在于那些已在職場站穩(wěn)腳跟的人與Z世代(指出生于20世紀(jì)90年代末和21世紀(jì)初的那批人)之間。他們正在步入一個前景堪憂的勞動力市場。據(jù)另一家智庫財政研究所的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，在英國，有近30%的25歲以下就業(yè)者就職于已停工的行業(yè)，而25歲以上就業(yè)者的這一比例僅為13%。

　　Those in university education are alsobadly affected. For a start, it is harder to get work experience. In America22% of employers have cancelled internship offers, according to the NationalAssociation of Colleges and Employers.

　　大學(xué)在校生也深受影響。首先，他們將難以獲得工作經(jīng)歷。據(jù)全美高校與雇主協(xié)會的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，22%的美國雇主不再提供實習(xí)機會了。

　　In the first week of May just under 2,500internships were posted on Monster.com, a recruitment website, compared withover 18,000 in the same week last year. Many of the remaining internships werein roles which could be done remotely. In Britain firms have cut entry-leveljobs by 23%, says the Institute of Student Employers, a recruiters’association.

　　今年5月的第一周，招聘網(wǎng)站 Monster.com 上僅發(fā)布了不到2500個實習(xí)崗位，而去年同期則有多達18000個。在僅剩的這些實習(xí)崗位中，其中許多都可以遠程辦公。據(jù)學(xué)生雇主協(xié)會(英國一家招聘協(xié)會)稱，英國企業(yè)已經(jīng)削減了23%的初級崗位。

　　The short-term shock of the pandemic willleave long-term scars. The Resolution Foundation estimates that the pandemicmeans those emerging from education this year will be less likely to have jobsin three years’ time. The likelihood of being in employment would fall by 13%for graduates and 37% for those with the fewest qualifications.

　　疫情很快就會過去，但卻會產(chǎn)生長久的影響。據(jù)決議基金會估計，這場疫情將使今年的畢業(yè)生在未來三年都難以就業(yè)。畢業(yè)生的就業(yè)率或?qū)⑾陆?3%，而對于那些低學(xué)歷者來說，降幅甚至將達到37%。

　　注：雙語全文源自經(jīng)濟學(xué)人

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