VOA新闻杂志2022 德国希望每年从海外吸引40万名技术工人

Germany Wants to Bring 400,000 Skilled Workers From Overseas

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to labor¹ shortages and weakened economies around the world. Leaders in Germany hope that foreign workers can help the country recover.

Germany's new coalition² government says it wants to bring 400,000 skilled foreign workers to the country each year. The government hopes this will help the country deal with its lack of workers as well as an aging workforce³.

Christian⁴ Duerr is parliamentary leader of the co-governing Free Democrats⁵. He told the business publication WirtschaftsWoche, "The shortage of skilled workers has become so serious by now that it is dramatically slowing down our economy."

He added, "We have to reach the mark of 400,000 skilled workers from abroad as quickly as possible."

Chancellor⁶ Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats, Duerr's FDP and the environmentalist Greens agreed in their deal on measures like a points system for specialists from countries outside the European Union. They also agreed to raising the national minimum pay to 12 euros ($13.60) an hour to make working in Germany more appealing.

The German Economic Institute estimates that the labor force will shrink by more than 300,000 people this year. More older workers are retiring than there are younger workers entering the labor market.

A shrinking labor force could also affect Germany's public pension system. Pensions are earnings⁷ a person makes after they no longer work. Fewer employees will be responsible for financing the pensions of a growing number of retirees who are living longer than ever.

Words in This Story

dramatically - adv. very much

abroad - n. in or to a foreign country

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 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

3 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。

4 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

5 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

7 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。