VOA标准英语2009年-OECD says Unemployment Will Continue to Ri

By Lisa Bryant
Paris
16 September 2009

 
Women walk past a job center in London, 16 Sept. 2009 
Despite reports that many industrialized economies are beginning to emerge from their worst economic crisis in decades, unemployment is rising and will likely reach a historic peak of nearly 10 percent next year. The findings come from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris.

Indications that unemployment continues to rise is grim news for leaders heading to the G-20 summit in the United States next week. The Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reports unemployment reached its highest level among industrialized nations of 8.5 percent in July.

OECD unemployment division chief Stephan Scarpetta says the number of jobless among the OECD's 30 member countries is expected to climb even higher next year, to nearly 10 percent.  That translates into 57 million people out of work.

"Unfortunately, despite the most recent indicators¹ that suggest the [economic] recovery may be in sight somewhat earlier than we were expecting only a few months ago, it will take far [longer] for the recovery to materialize in terms of significant improvement in the labor² market," he said.

The United States, Spain and Ireland are among those countries with the fastest rising unemployment. All three were affected³ by the collapse⁴ of high housing prices. The damage spread to other sectors⁵ of the economy.

Scarpetta says young people are among the hardest hit. In Spain, for example, more than one in three young workers are unemployed⁶.

So as world leaders discuss the financial and economic crisis during their meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Scarpetta says it is important they also address the social dimensions of the crisis - like unemployment.

"The good news is that countries have already acted quite quickly and decisively, I would say," he said. "Part of the stimulus⁷ packages have been additional resources for labor markets and social policies."

But efforts by governments to extend and prolong unemployment benefits, and to offer more job counseling and training have not kept up with the rising numbers of jobless. Scarpetta says that means countries will need to target their resources more selectively and to ensure that the most vulnerable members of the labor force benefit. 
 

1 indicators   

（仪器上显示温度、压力、耗油量等的）指针( indicator的名词复数 )； 指示物； （车辆上的）转弯指示灯； 指示信号

参考例句：

• The economic indicators are better than expected. 经济指标比预期的好。
• It is still difficult to develop indicators for many concepts used in social science. 为社会科学领域的许多概念确立一个指标仍然很难。

2 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

3 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

4 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

5 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

7 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。