美國應屆畢業生就業面臨四大挑戰
Graduating college students face a mixed job market at best this year, and most will leave school without an offer in hand, despite an uptick in hiring by on-campus recruiters.
A survey of employers by the National Association of Colleges and Employers showed those that recruit on campuses plan to boost hiring of new grads by 10.2% from last year. However, on-campus recruiting is only a small slice of the pie -- the bulk of graduates find jobs on their own.
Associated Press全美高校與僱主協會(National Association of Colleges and Employers)對招聘企業展開的一項調查顯示，參與校園招聘的企業今年的應屆畢業生計劃招聘人數比去年增加了10.2%。然而，校園招聘只佔就業市場很小一部分，大多數畢業生還是得自己走出校園找工作。In a study to be released Thursday, the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University found that recent graduates are taking awhile to find work. Only 49% of graduates from the classes of 2009 to 2011 had found a full-time job within a year of finishing school, compared with 73% for students who graduated in the three years prior.
羅格斯大學（Rutgers University）約翰•黑爾德里希人力發展中心（John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development）在上週發佈的研究報告中指出，新近畢業的大學生要花不少時間才能找到工作。在2009年至2011年期間畢業的大學生中，只有49%的人在畢業一年內找到全職工作，2006至2008年期間畢業的大學生的這一比例爲73%。
Overall, the unemployment rate among 20- to 24-year-olds with bachelor's degrees was 6.4% in April, compared with 8.1% for the overall population, according to the Labor Department.
根據美國勞工部（Labor Department）公佈的數據，總體說來，4月份美國擁有學士學位的20歲至24歲年輕人的失業率爲6.4%，而總人口的失業率爲8.1%。Experts say four broad issues will make it tougher for today's graduates to launch their careers and succeed over the long run.
就業問題專家稱，當今的畢業生若要開啓職業生涯並在未來獲得成功更加艱難，他們將要面臨四大挑戰。FIRST, the job market is still far from booming: March and April's disappointing job numbers -- employers added only 154,000 and 115,000 jobs, respectively, compared with an average gain of about 250,000 in the previous three months -- suggest the recovery remains fragile. The downbeat news echoes a pattern in the past two years, when much-heralded economic 'green shoots' early in the year failed to blossom into sustained improvement.
首先，就業市場還遠遠算不上繁榮。3月份和4月份的就業數據均令人失望，分別只增加了154,000個和115,000個工作崗位，而之前三個月平均每月約增加250,000個崗位，這表明經濟復甦依然疲軟。這個讓人沮喪的消息與過去兩年的模式頗爲相似──年初大舉宣揚的經濟復甦苗頭最終未能進一步發展爲持續的改善。On the positive side, Americans are quitting their jobs in higher numbers, leaving behind openings for which new graduates can apply. In February, the last month for which data are available, two million people gave notice, according to the Labor Department. While still historically low, it is the highest number of resignations since November 2008. That churn -- the natural turnover that occurs as workers quit or retire -- is a sign of slowly improving economic confidence and good news for new grads and all unemployed people.
積極的一面是，美國的辭職人數也有所增加，騰出的職位空缺可供新近畢業的大學生申請。據美國勞工部的數據顯示，在2月份（有數據可查的最後一個月），美國有200萬人提出了辭職申請。雖然該數據依舊處於歷史低點，卻是2008年11月以來的最高值。人員流失率（因員工辭職或退休出現的人員的自然流動）上升是經濟信心逐步緩慢回升的一個跡象，對剛畢業的大學生以及所有失業者來說都是個好消息。SECOND, the class of 2012 faces tougher competition thanks to what Carl Van Horn, director of the Heldrich Center, calls 'the recession hangover.' Young adults who graduated into the dire labor market of 2008 and 2009 and have been out of work or underemployed since are applying for the same jobs as new grads are. The same goes for earlier grads who were laid off during the recession. Those job candidates, many of whom likely have more experience than new grads, may have an edge, Mr. Van Horn says.
其次，受到約翰·黑爾德里希人力發展中心主任卡爾•範霍恩（Carl Van Horn）所稱的“衰退後遺症”的影響，2012年畢業的學生面臨着更加殘酷的就業競爭。一方面，畢業於2008年和2009年、一直未就業或者未充分就業的年輕人會與今年的應屆畢業生競爭相同崗位；另一方面，早前畢業但在經濟衰退期被解僱的人也會加入競爭。範霍恩稱，這些求職者可能比應屆畢業生更有優勢，因爲他們當中許多人的工作經驗更豐富。In a better position might be those seniors who took advantage of on-campus recruitment programs. Lauren Martinez, 22 years old, will graduate from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn., on Saturday with an entry-level consulting job in hand. Competition during recruiting season felt 'hard but not terrible,' says Ms. Martinez, who received two job offers. Her friends who are graduating without full-time jobs, she adds, have mostly lined up volunteer work, internships and temporary research positions while they continue to search for permanent work.
境遇好些的可能是那些通過校園招聘得償所願的畢業班學生。現年22歲的勞倫•馬丁內茲（Lauren Martinez）上週六剛從明尼蘇達州聖保羅的馬卡萊斯特學院（Macalester College）畢業，她即將從事一份初級的諮詢工作。她說求職季的競爭“艱難但並不可怕”，最終她獲得了兩個工作機會。她還說，那些畢業沒找到全職工作的朋友大多數找到了志願者工作、實習工作以及臨時性的研究工作，同時他們也在繼續尋找固定工作。THIRD, a debt burden looms. Two-thirds of students from the class of 2010, the latest figures available, graduated with student loans, with an average tab of $25,250 -- up 5% from the previous year -- according to The Institute for College Access & Success, an independent group that promotes higher education affordability.
再次，債務負擔也是一大隱患。據美國大學入學及成功協會(The Institute for College Access & Success)的數據顯示，2010年（有最新數據可查的一年）畢業的學生中，有三分之二的人在畢業時揹負着助學貸款，平均負債額爲25,250美元，較上一年上升了5%。該協會是一家旨在提高高等教育可承受度的獨立機構。Tuition isn't getting any cheaper, so loan figures are expected to be even higher for the current crop of graduates. That means a greater share of any starting salaries they receive would go to repaying lenders, rather than to rent, furnishings or a down-payment fund for a house, delaying financial independence for many young adults.
如今的大學學費一點也不比以前便宜，因此當前這批畢業生的欠款額可能還會更高。這意味着他們初期獲得的薪水將用於償還貸款，而不是用來付房租、買傢俱或是支付房子的首付款，這使得許多年輕人財政獨立的時間向後推遲。LAST, even when new graduates do find jobs, their starting salaries tend to be lower than those for their counterparts who graduated a decade earlier, adjusted for inflation. With a lower base pay, research shows they may never catch up.
最後，即使新近畢業的學生找到了工作，他們的起薪經通脹因素調整後往往會比10年前的畢業生低。研究顯示，由於基本工資更低，他們也許永遠也趕不上以前畢業生的水平。According to the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank, entry-level, college-educated men age 23-29 earned an average $21.68 an hour in 2011, an inflation-adjust drop of 7.6% from 2000. For women, the corresponding figure fell 6%, to $18.80. Men and women both earn just a bit more than they did in 1989, when measured in 2011 dollars.
據美國左傾智庫經濟政策研究所（Economic Policy Institute）的數據顯示，在2011年，受過大學教育、從事初級工作的23歲至29歲男性的平均時薪爲21.68美元，經通脹因素調整後比2000年降低了7.6%；同樣條件的女性的這一數據下降了6%至18.80美元。按照美元在2011年的購買力水平衡量，這些人的工資只比1989年高出些許。Many students nonetheless express optimism, though perhaps that is simply the Lake Wobegon effect: They might believe they're all above-average after years of positive reinforcement from their parents. In the same vein, they may see themselves as exceptions to the rules of the job market.
許多學生還是表現出樂觀態度，儘管這可能只是烏比岡湖效應（Lake Wobegon effect，注：指人們對於自身的性格和能力等抱有不切實際的樂觀態度）的體現──他們可能是認爲自己經過父母多年的積極培養後比普通人優秀。出於同樣的道理，他們可能也認爲自己能夠免受就業市場規律的影響。
