随着美国人努力重返工作岗位，惊人的失业数字隐约可见

随着美国人努力重返工作岗位，惊人的失业数字隐约可见

Pandemic layoffs have slowed in recent weeks. But a report card from the Labor Department Friday is still expected to show millions of jobs were lost in May as the unemployment rate climbed near 20% — it's highest level in more than 80 years.

最近几周，大规模裁员的速度有所放缓。但是劳工部周五公布的一份报告显示，随着失业率攀升至近20%——80多年来的最高水平，5月份仍有数百万人失业。

At 20%, the jobless rate would top April's astounding 14.7% rate — and it would be the highest since the nearly 25% rate at the height of the Great Depression.

失业率达到20%，将超过4月份令人震惊的14.7%——这将是自大萧条时期近25%以来的最高水平。

That's on top of the more than 20 million jobs that were lost in April, as the U.S. slammed the brakes on its economy in a desperate effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

这是在4月份失去的超过2000万个工作岗位之上的，当时美国拼命地减缓冠状病毒的传播，猛踩经济刹车。

Forecasters expect to see a smaller drop in employment in May — in the neighborhood of 8 million to 12 million jobs. Initial claims for unemployment have been fallingsteadily in recent weeks. And some people who were idle in April were called back to work last month as business started to reopen.

预测人士预计，5月份就业人数的下降幅度会小一些，大约在800万到1200万之间。最近几周，首次申请失业救济的人数一直在稳步下降。随着商业开始重开，一些四月份赋闲的人上个月被召回工作。

Unemployment rate 1929 to 1947 is the annual civilian unemployment rate, ages 14 and older. Unemployment rate 1948 to present is the monthly civilian unemployment rate, ages 16 and older.

1929年至1947年的失业率是指14岁及以上的平民年失业率。1948年至今的失业率是指16岁及以上的平民每月失业率。

Hairdresser Megan Hanneken has not been recalled yet, but she expects to go back to work in a few weeks as Michigan relaxes its stay-at-home orders. Her customers have been getting impatient.

美发师梅根·汉纳肯还没有被召回，但她预计几周后就会回去工作，因为密歇根已经放松了居家令限制。她的顾客已经不耐烦了。

"I've never felt so valued as a hairstylist, which is wonderful," Hanneken says. "But I also want to laugh when people are so upset about their hair. I'm like, 'You guys, it's hair.' "

“作为一名发型师，我从未觉得自己有如此高的价值，这太棒了，” 汉纳肯说。“但当人们为自己的发型而烦恼时，我也想笑。我说，‘伙计们，这是头发。’”

Hanneken says she's prepared to take precautions to avoid spreading the virus, but she's not looking forward to wearing a mask all day or trying to cut hair with gloves on.

汉纳肯说她准备采取预防措施来避免病毒传播，但她不希望整天戴着口罩或戴着手套剪头发。

"I've seen pictures — during the 1918 flu pandemic — of open-air beauty salons. People were cutting hair outside," she says. "How I wish that were the case now. That would be so preferable to me than being in a hot salon with a mask on."

“在1918年流感大流行期间，我看到过露天美容院的照片。人们在外面剪头发，”她说。“我多么希望现在是这样。这比在炎热的沙龙里戴着口罩要好得多。”

Michigan's unemployment rate in April was 22.7%, eight points above the national average and second only to Nevada, where the jobless rate was 28.2%.

密歇根州4月份的失业率为22.7%，比全国平均水平高出8个百分点，仅次于失业率为28.2%的内华达州。

A report from payroll processor ADP this week showed a smaller-than-expected job loss between April and May, suggesting more people were being rehired. Nevertheless, weekly unemployment claims show more than 37 million Americans are either receiving jobless benefits or applied recently and are awaiting approval.

就业数据处理公司ADP本周公布的一份报告显示，4月至5月的失业人数低于预期，暗示有更多的人重新就业。不过，每周的失业救济申请显示，有超过3,700万美国人正在领取失业救济，或最近刚刚申请失业救济，目前正在等待批准。

Bartender Susan McAleer was laid off on St. Patrick's Day from a restaurant in Philadelphia. She says the extra $600 a week in benefits the federal government authorized during the pandemic has been a critical lifeline.

调酒师苏珊·麦克莱尔在圣帕特里克节那天从费城的一家餐馆被解雇了。她说，在流行病期间，联邦政府批准的每周600美元的额外津贴是一条至关重要的生命线。

"That makes all the bills payable," she says. "But I also don't know what's going to happen after July when they cut if off."

她说:“这样就可以应付所有的账单了。”“但我也不知道7月之后如果他们停止发放津贴的话会发生什么。”