Zoomers, zeros and Gen Z

　　远程办公者、零工一族以及Z世代

　　The pandemic has widened two divides in thelabour market

　　新冠疫情将进一步拉大就业市场的两大鸿沟

　　Countries are beginning to emerge fromeconomic lockdown. As they do, the statistics show how different segments ofthe population have been affected by the pandemic. And the evidence is clearthat the virus has widened existing divides between professionals, low-paidworkers and the young.

　　各国的经济正在走向复苏。与此同时，我们透过统计数据能够看到疫情对不同阶层的人们所造成的影响。有确凿证据显示，新冠病毒进一步拉大了专业工作者、低薪工人和年轻人之间本就存在的鸿沟。

　　Start with the most fortunate. Manyprofessionals can easily work at home, replacing one-to-one meetings with phonecalls and group meetings with Zoom gatherings or Google hangouts. These“Zoomers” are mostly working on full pay and are currently being spared thedaily commute. For them, the lockdown may be an inconvenience (particularly ifthey have children) but it is not a threat to their standards of living.

　　先说说最幸运的人。许多专业工作者可以轻松地在家办公，以打电话的方式代替一对一面谈，以 Zoom 会议和 Google 会议代替小组会议。这些“远程办公者”不仅拿着全额薪金，还免去了日常通勤的麻烦。对他们来说，封锁措施可能确实会带来不便(尤其对于有小孩的家庭来说)，但不至于影响他们的生活水平。

　　For many others, however, the pandemic is aserious threat. Some are key workers, who have to attend their jobs and are atmore risk from the virus. Others cannot work from home and have either losttheir jobs or seen their incomes cut (despite help from government schemes).Many in this group were already in a weaker position than the Zoomers, becausethey were in jobs with lower wages or less security.

　　但对于其他许多人来说，这场疫情却严重威胁着生计。有些关键岗位的工人必须亲临现场，他们感染新冠病毒的风险更大。还有些人由于工作无法在家完成，他们要么丢了工作，要么收入减少(尽管政府也有援助计划)。这个群体中的许多人相较于那些远程办公者而言本身就处于弱势地位，他们往往从事着低收入或高风险的工作。

　　Some people in this less fortunate groupcan be dubbed the “zeros”. In Britain, almost three-quarters of those onzero-hours contracts are key workers or work in shut-down sectors, says theResolution Foundation, a think-tank.

　　在这个不幸的群体中，有些人可以被称作“零工一族”。据智库决议基金会称，在英国，近四分之三拿着零工时合同的工人就职于关键岗位或已停工行业。

　　A further clue to the toll on the low-paidcame from the latest American non-farm payroll figures. Average hourly earningsrose by 4.7% in April, the biggest monthly gain on record. That sounds likegood news but isn’t.

　　最新的美国非农就业数据进一步凸显了低薪工人所受的影响。今年4月，美国的平均时薪上涨了4.7%，创下了自有记录以来的最大月增幅。这听起来像是个好消息，但事实并非如此。

　　It is the result of low-wage workers losingjobs in sectors like hospitality. The same trend can be seen in Britain, wherethe average wage of those in shut-down sectors is less than half of thoseworking at home, according to the Resolution Foundation.

　　这一结果是由于酒店等行业的低薪工人失业所致。英国也面临着同样的情况，据决议基金会的数据显示，那些就职于已停工行业的工人的平均工资还不及那些在家办公者的一半。

　　The mortality rates make even grimmer news.The low-paid (and ethnic minorities) have suffered most. Figures from Britain’sOffice for National Statistics showed that death rates of security guards, careworkers and bus drivers were much higher than average, while those in“professional occupations” had death rates well below the mean.

　　更让人感到悲伤的是有关死亡率的数据。低收入人群(及少数族裔)有着更高的死亡率。据英国国家统计局的数据显示，保安、护工和公交车司机的死亡率远高于平均水平，而那些专业技术人员的死亡率则远低于平均水平。

　　Another great divide is between thosealready established in the workforce and Generation Z—those born in the late1990s and early 2000s who are now coming of age. They are entering a job marketextremely hostile to their prospects. Around 30% of British employees agedunder 25 worked in one of the shut-down sectors, according to the Institute forFiscal Studies, another think-tank, compared with 13% of those aged over 25.

　　另一条巨大的鸿沟则存在于那些已在职场站稳脚跟的人与Z世代(指出生于20世纪90年代末和21世纪初的那批人)之间。他们正在步入一个前景堪忧的劳动力市场。据另一家智库财政研究所的数据显示，在英国，有近30%的25岁以下就业者就职于已停工的行业，而25岁以上就业者的这一比例仅为13%。

　　Those in university education are alsobadly affected. For a start, it is harder to get work experience. In America22% of employers have cancelled internship offers, according to the NationalAssociation of Colleges and Employers.

　　大学在校生也深受影响。首先，他们将难以获得工作经历。据全美高校与雇主协会的数据显示，22%的美国雇主不再提供实习机会了。

　　In the first week of May just under 2,500internships were posted on Monster.com, a recruitment website, compared withover 18,000 in the same week last year. Many of the remaining internships werein roles which could be done remotely. In Britain firms have cut entry-leveljobs by 23%, says the Institute of Student Employers, a recruiters’association.

　　今年5月的第一周，招聘网站 Monster.com 上仅发布了不到2500个实习岗位，而去年同期则有多达18000个。在仅剩的这些实习岗位中，其中许多都可以远程办公。据学生雇主协会(英国一家招聘协会)称，英国企业已经削减了23%的初级岗位。

　　The short-term shock of the pandemic willleave long-term scars. The Resolution Foundation estimates that the pandemicmeans those emerging from education this year will be less likely to have jobsin three years’ time. The likelihood of being in employment would fall by 13%for graduates and 37% for those with the fewest qualifications.

　　疫情很快就会过去，但却会产生长久的影响。据决议基金会估计，这场疫情将使今年的毕业生在未来三年都难以就业。毕业生的就业率或将下降13%，而对于那些低学历者来说，降幅甚至将达到37%。

　　注：双语全文源自经济学人

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