U.S. unemployment dipped below 9 percent last month, as private employers added the most jobs since April. The U.S. Labor Department released its monthly employment report Friday, showing the U.S. economy picked up a net total of 192,000 jobs in February. That brings the U.S. jobless rate to 8.9 percent - the lowest in nearly two years and another sign that the US recovery is picking up steam.
美国私人企业就业率上个月的增幅创下去年4月份以来的最高水平，全国失业率因此下降到9%以下。美国劳工部4号发布的就业报告，显示美国就业今年2月净增加19万2千份，同月失业率因此降到8.9%，几乎是两年来的最低水平。这再次显示，美国经济正在加快复苏。
In the Midwestern state of Wisconsin - another sign of the improving economy. The Oshkosh Corporation is hiring 750 workers to service its military contracts. For the 2,500 applicants competing for those jobs, it's a welcome glimmer of hope.
美国中西部的威斯康辛州就出现了经济好转的迹象。美国豪士科集团公司(Oshkosh Corp)正在增聘750人，为公司承担的国防合同提供服务。这些职位共有2500人申请，他们对这次招聘抱有很大的希望。
One man in Wisconsin said, "Fourteen years in the paper industry and a little bit in between there, and now I've hopefully got a new start."
一位申请者说：“我在造纸业连续干了14年，以后也干了一点。我现在希望能够重新开始。我对此感到兴奋。”最新的就业数据印证了他的感觉。
And the latest job numbers support his optimism. Private employers added 222,000 jobs last month, bringing the nation's unemployment rate to its lowest level since April 2009.
美国私人企业上个月增加了22万2千份就业，将全国失业率降到2009年4月以来的最低水平。
Wells Fargo chief economist John Silva said it shows that companies are more confident about a sustained U.S. recovery. "It was nice to see the unemployment rate down a little bit. It was good to see that most of the job growth was in fact in the private sector. I think those are all good signs telling us that we have sustained economic growth and a better labor market."
美国富国银行(Wells Fargo)首席经济学家席尔瓦(John Silva)说，这显示美国企业对美国经济的持续复苏增强了信心。他说：“失业率下降了一些是好消息，大部分就业增长实际来自私人企业也是好消息。我认为，这些都显示，国家经济复苏正在持续，劳工就业市场状况好转。”
The fastest growth has been in the manufacturing and service sectors, which have benefited from higher consumer spending and an increase in U.S. exports abroad.
2月份就业增长最快的是制造业和服务产业，两者都得益于消费支出的增长和美国对海外市场出口的增加。
Still, the total number of unemployed remains high at 13.7 million, nearly double what it was before the recession. Factoring in those wishing to work more hours and those who have given up looking for work - the so-called underemployment rate is 15.9 percent.
尽管如此，美国全国失业人口依然高达1370万，几乎是经济衰退之前的两倍。再加上希望增加工时和已经放弃找工作的人，全国所谓就业不足的比例就达15.9%。
Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said, "We need to be reminded that we've added jobs. One and a half million private sector jobs, and that, I think, it's right where we need to be, but we need to continue to not lose sight of where we need to go to increase opportunities for people to get employed in new jobs."
美国劳工部长希尔达·索利斯(Hilda Solis)说：“我们需要强调，私人企业增加了150万份就业。我认为，我们需要增加这些就业。但我们需要继续实现我们的目标，让更多的民众有机会找到新的工作。”
A larger threat to sustained job growth, though, is the rising price of oil - now above $100 a barrel. White House spokesman Jay Carney said,
"The president is extremely aware of the impact that a spike in oil prices can have on gasoline prices and therefore on the wallets and pocketbooks of average Americans."
但就业持续增长面临的一个更大威胁，就是油价不断上涨，现在每桶已经超过了一百美元。白宫发言人卡尔尼说：“奥巴马总统深知，油价的上涨对汽油价格、对普通美国民众的收入和消费能力可能造成的影响。”
Unemployment has dropped nearly one percent since November. Average paychecks have remained flat, however, which means higher gas prices could put a serious dent in consumer spending.
去年11月以来，美国失业率已经下降了几乎一个百分点，但美国平均工薪并没有增加。这意味着汽油价格的上涨可能会严重影响美国的消费支出。 |