Australia's wool industry faces a chronic lack of sheep shearers. They are being lured to better paid jobs in the booming mining sector, just as demand from China, which buys about 60 percent of Australian wool, is soaring.
澳大利亚的羊毛业长期以来面临剪羊毛工人短缺的问题。很多工人被吸引到待遇较丰厚的兴旺的采矿业。与此同时，中国的羊毛需求量却日益上升。澳大利亚60%的羊毛出口到了中国。
Australia's sheep shearers have been deserting the industry in droves. The most recent figures show that between 2003 and 2006 almost a quarter walked away.
大批澳大利亚剪羊毛的工人不断离开这一行。 最近的统计数据显示，2003到2006年间几乎有四分之一的人离职。
The shearing sheds face tough competition from Australia's mining sector, which is experiencing unprecedented growth thanks to strong demand from China and increasingly India.
剪毛业面临澳大利亚矿业的强有力竞争，由于中国及印度的需求量大，澳大利亚矿业正以空前速度在增长。
However, demand from China for Australian wool has also surged, pushing prices to their highest level in more than four years.
但是中国对澳大利亚羊毛的需求量也在增长，以至羊毛价格上升到4年多来的最高点。
Analysts say that the Chinese bought 58 percent of Australia's wool between July and November 2007 sparking concerns that supply will not be able to meet demand.
分析人士说，在2007年7月到11月间购买了58%的澳大利亚羊毛，促使人们担心澳大利亚羊毛将供不应求。
Resource companies offer better wages and conditions than shearing, one of the toughest jobs in Australia.
矿物资源公司所提供的工资和工作条件比剪毛业优越，而剪毛工是澳大利亚最艰苦的工种之一。
Joe Sullivan from research company Australian Wool Innovation says workers continue to leave the industry.
澳大利亚羊毛革新研究公司的乔.沙利文说，工人在继续不断地离弃剪毛业。
"Let's be honest - one, it's a hard, physical job," he said. "Shearers have a limited lifespan in the role but also because of competing industries and with the resources boom, we're having quite a significant demand for labor from the mining industry."
他说：“老实说，首先是因为这个 工作是艰苦的体力活。剪毛工的在职生涯年月有限。但是也由于来自其它工业的竞争，随着矿业的兴旺，我们面临采矿的劳力需求量相当高的问题。”
Sheep shearing is often a backbreaking job, where thousands of kilograms of sheep meat are shifted every day. Hours are spent dragging sheep out of their pens and removing their tangled fleeces with electric clippers.
剪羊毛是非常累的工作，每天搬动的肥羊总计重达几千公斤。首先你得花上几个小时把羊拉出羊圈，然后用电动剪刀剪下缠绕纠结的羊毛。
A good shearer can get through 200 sheep a day, and is paid about $2 per fleece but the punishing work often leads to chronic back pain and other injuries.
一名好剪毛工一天能给200头羊剪毛，报酬是每头羊约2美元，但是繁重的工作往往导致慢性腰背酸疼等劳动损伤。
Australia's long-standing drought has reduced sheep numbers and although farmers need fewer shearers there still are not enough to go round.
Efforts are being made to attract new recruits and increase productivity. There are training courses around the country and researchers are looking at ways to make the job easier.
人们正在采取措施吸引招募剪毛工并提高生产力。澳大利亚各地都提供剪毛培训，而研究人员也在想方设法让剪毛工作比过去省力。
Despite the drought and a shortage of skilled workers, Australia remains the world's largest wool exporter.
尽管澳大利亚最近发生旱灾，而且缺乏熟练工，但是澳大利亚仍是世界最大的羊毛出口国。 |