VOA慢速英语--ILO: More than 200 Million People are Unemployed

 

The International Labor¹ Organization (ILO) is urging private businesses to invest more in workers and support efforts to reduce unemployment around the world.

The ILO released a report on Monday. It is called World Employment and Social Outlook 2017: Sustainable Enterprises and Jobs.

The report states that more than 201 million people worldwide are jobless. It said that number represents an increase of 3.4 million people compared to 2016.

The ILO says private companies, especially small- and medium-sized ones, can help to create good jobs around the world.

The ILO study found that such companies employ almost 3 billion workers, or 87 percent of total employment worldwide. And it says a strong public sector² can serve as the base for economic growth, job creation and poverty reduction.

Deborah Greenfield is the ILO’s deputy director-general for policy. She says investing in workers is important for continued growth. Greenfield notes that providing training for permanent workers results in higher wages, higher productivity and lower unit labor costs. But she said many part-time and temporary workers are losing out.

“But intensified³ use of temporary employment is associated with lower wages and lower productivity without achieving any gains in unit labor costs. The report also finds that on-the-job training is an important driver of innovation. Since temporary workers are rarely offered training, this might also affect innovation in firms in a negative way.”

The ILO report said in some cases, innovative⁴ thinking has led to the addition of more temporary workers, most of them women. That might be helpful in the short-term, the report said. But it keeps wages low and reduces productivity because of the unpredictability of temporary work and the lack of retirement⁵ and other benefits.

The ILO said innovation increases competitiveness and job creation for private businesses. It added that innovative companies are usually more productive, employ more educated workers, offer more training and add more women to the workforce⁶.

I’m John Russell.

Words in This Story

sustainable – adj. able to be used without being completely used up or destroyed

enterprise – n. a business organization

public sector – n. the part of an economy which is controlled or owned by the government

unit – n. a particular amount of length, time, money, etc., that is used as a standard for counting or measuring; a single thing, person or group that is a part of something larger

innovate⁷ – v. to do something in a new way; to have new ideas about how something can be done

firm – n. a business organization

negative – adj. harmful or bad; not wanted

benefit – n. something extra (such as vacation time or health insurance) that is given by an employer to workers in addition to their regular pay

1 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。

2 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

3 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

5 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

6 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

7 innovate   

v.革新，变革，创始

参考例句：

• We must innovate in order to make progress.我们必须改革以便取得进步。
• It is necessary to innovate and develop military theories.创新和发展军事理论是必要的。