President Barack Obama says the U.S. unemployment rate is likely to continue rising for several months, even as the economy recovers from its worst recession in decades.
美国总统奥巴马星期二说，即使经济从这场几十年来最严重的衰退中复苏，美国的失业率也可能继续上升几个月。
President Obama says he expects the nation's jobless rate, which is the highest it has been in 26 years, to get still worse before it gets better.
奥巴马总统说，他预计，美国的失业率在好转之前会继续恶化。目前的失业率是美国二十六年里最高的。
"My expectation is that we will probably continue to see unemployment tick up for several months," Mr. Obama said.
奥巴马说：“我的预期是，在今后的几个月里，我们可能会继续看到失业率上升。”
Unemployment is 9.5 percent in the United States, and Mr. Obama says hiring is usually one of the last areas of a struggling economy to bounce back.
美国目前的失业率是9.5%，奥巴马说，在衰退中苦苦挣扎的经济，招聘通常是最后恢复的领域之一。
"Even after you start moving into a recovery-positive growth-hiring typically lags for some time after that. That has been the historic norm," Mr. Obama said.
奥巴马说：“即使人们看到经济开始复苏，也就是经济进入正增长期，招聘的复苏仍然要滞后一段时间。从历史上看，这属于常态。”
The president spoke in the Oval Office, after meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende.
奥巴马总统是在会晤荷兰首相扬·彼得·巴尔克嫩德(Jan Peter Balkenende)之后，在白宫椭圆形办公室说这番话的。
More than 2 million jobs have been lost since Congress passed Mr. Obama's $787 billion economic recovery act in February.
美国国会今年二月通过了奥巴马提出的7870亿美元经济复苏法案，从那时到现在，美国又损失了200多万个工作职位。
Still, the president says there are reasons for optimism. Among them are signs of stabilization in the U.S. financial markets.
尽管如此，奥巴马总统认为，我们仍然有理由乐观。这些理由包括，美国金融市场表现出稳定迹象。
"That means that companies can borrow, and banks are starting to lend again. Small businesses that might have worried just a couple of months ago about closing doors, they are now able to get a little more financing," Mr. Obama said. "That means they are less likely to lay off workers."
奥巴马说：“这意味着公司可以借钱，银行重新开始贷款。两三个月前还担心要倒闭的小企业，他们现在得以借到稍微多一点的资金。也就是说，这些小企业解雇员工的可能性减少了。”
Other glimmers of economic hope appeared Tuesday. The Commerce Department says retail sales rose 0.6 percent in June, about twice what economists had expected. The increase appeared to be driven by a 1.8 percent spike in wholesale prices, largely due to higher energy prices.
最新的经济数据也显示美国经济出现了更多的希望的曙光。商务部说，六月份美国零售额增长0.6%，几乎是经济学家预期增长率的两倍。零售额增长看来受到批发价格上升1.8%的驱动，而批发价格上升主要因为能源价格上涨。
Still, Mr. Obama is focused on creating jobs, a central message on his Tuesday visit to the economically-devastated state of Michigan.
尽管如此，奥巴马总统仍然强调要创造就业，这是他当天视察经济遭受重创的密西根州时所表达的中心意思。
The president is promoting his initiative to reform and strengthen community colleges, which offer training in various trades and professions. The goal is to help an additional 5 million Americans earn degrees and certificates in the next decade, better qualifying them for the jobs of the 21st century.
奥巴马总统正在宣传他的改革和加强社区学院的主张。社区学院提供各种职业培训。改革和加强社区学院可以帮助更多的美国人更好地适应21世纪的工作。如果奥巴马总统的计划得以落实，那么在今后十年拿到学位和证书的美国人将增加五百万。
"We have got to find new models of economic growth, particularly at a time when consumers are just not going to be spending as much as they were, and that had been driving a lot of economic growth over the last several months," Mr. Obama said.
奥巴马总统说：“我们必须找到新的经济增长模式，尤其在消费者不能像以前那样花钱的时候更要这样做。过去几个月来，消费者支出一直是经济增长的主要动力。”
Unemployment in Michigan is the highest of any of the 50 states - 14.1 percent-largely because of job losses in the U.S. auto industry, which is based in Michigan. However, Mr. Obama says he sees promising signs there, too.
在美国五十个州，密西根州的失业率最高，达14.1%，主要因为在密西根州的美国汽车业丧失了很多工作。不过，奥巴马总统说，他看到那里也有一些希望的迹象。
"We are pleased to see that GM and Chrysler have gotten out of bankruptcy. They have an opportunity to compete internationally," Mr. Obama said. "Had it not been for the steps that we took with respect to GM and Chrysler, the situation in Michigan, I think it is fair to say, would be far worse."
奥巴马总统说：“我们高兴地看到，通用和克莱斯勒汽车公司走出破产保护。它们因此有机会参与国际竞争。假如我们没有针对通用和克莱斯勒采取措施，我认为，公正地说，密西根州的情况可能会更糟糕。”
Meanwhile, Steve Rattner, whom Mr. Obama appointed in February to oversee the bailouts of GM and Chrysler, announced Monday he is stepping down. He will be replaced by Ron Bloom, a former union official.
另一方面，奥巴马今年二月任命监督通用和克莱斯勒救助计划实施的史蒂夫·拉特纳宣布辞职。接替他的是罗恩·布鲁姆。他曾经是工会官员。 |