The labor market in the United States is starting to show signs of recovery, but for many young workers the recovery is not happening fast enough. Although the national unemployment rate is now the lowest it has been in two years, one study suggests the job prospects for 16 to 24-year-olds remains grim.
美国劳工市场开始显示复苏的迹象，但是对很多年轻人来说，复苏的步伐还不够快。尽管全国的失业率现在为两年来的最低位，但是，一项新的研究显示，对16岁和24岁的年轻人来说，就业前景仍然很暗淡。
America's youth faces an increasingly uncertain future. Despite a slowly improving job market, economist Heidi Shierholz at the Economic Policy Institute says young workers have yet to see similar gains.
尽管就业市场在缓慢复苏，但是美国年轻人的未来的不确定性仍在增加。经济政策研究所的经济学家海蒂·谢尔霍兹说，年轻人的就业市场还没有看到类似的改善。
"Young people across the board have never seen anything like this in 70 years," said Heidi Shierholz. "Since the Great Depression we have not seen unemployment rates this high."
她说：“对所有年轻人来说，他们现在所面临的情况是过去70年从未见过的。自大萧条以来，我们都没有看到失业率如此之高。”
With unemployment rates more than twice the national average, Shierholz says the graduating Class of 2011 faces fierce competition for fewer jobs.
谢尔霍兹说，年轻人的失业率是全国平均水平的两倍以上，对2011年的毕业生来说，就业机会更少，竞争也将更加激烈。
"New college grads are in direct competition with the cohort from last year and the cohort from the year before that, when the unemployment rate was also incredibly high, so there's just extremely stiff competition for new jobs for young people," she said.
她说：“新的大学毕业生将面临来自去年，甚至前年留下的一批人的直接竞争。失业率高得令人难以置信，所以对年轻人来说，新的工作的竞争将非常严峻。”
George Washington University law student Elliot Reaven feels good about his career choices but he admits it is an intimidating economy for many students.
乔治·华盛顿大学的法律系学生艾略特·里文对自己的职业选择感觉不错，但是他承认，对很多学生来说，这样的经济现状令人感到害怕。
"I'm optimistic," said Elliot Reaven. "I think people are working on getting it better, but I think people are generally pretty discouraged right now and I'm with that sentiment."
他说：“我还是比较乐观，我想大家都在努力改善局面。我想，这个时候，大家普遍都有些泄气， 我也会那种感觉。”
Instead of having to compete against experienced workers for fewer entry level jobs, chemistry student Dan Foreman plans to ride out the storm until the economy improves.
化学系学生丹·福尔曼打算避过这个风头，等到经济好转，他不想与有工作经验的人一起竞争为数不多的几个入门阶段的工作。
"They're not looking too good right now, so I plan to go to grad[uate] school, get my Ph.D. and maybe then I'll have a more marketable degree," said Dan Foreman.
他说：“他们看起来都不是太好，我打算上研究生院，读博士，到那个时候，我可能获得更高的学位，也许能更好地推销自己。”
But times have changed. Professor Ayman Tarabishy at GW's (George Washington University's) School of Business says degrees are no longer as important as marketable skills.
但是时代变了。乔治·华盛顿大学商学院教授阿曼·塔拉必希说，学位与市场所需的技能相比不再那么重要。
"Don't just mention that you graduated from X school or Y school and this is the degree you have," said Professor Tarabishy. "What employers are looking for is what skills can you bring to the table right now, what impact can you have and what is your knowledge level."
他说：“不要只是告诉他们你从这个学校或是那个学校毕业，这是你的学位。雇主现在需要的是你可以带来哪些技能，你会给公司带来哪些影响，以及你的知识水平。”
Journalism student Nicole Mann graduates next year. She says students must not lose sight of their goals, but she says they also need to be flexible.
新闻系的妮可·曼明年毕业，她说，学生们一定不要失去自己的目标，但是同时也需要灵活。
"Even if you're offered a job that's outside of what you'd like to do, I would say, 'Yes,' and take it as much as you can because it can help lift you up in unexpected ways," said Nicole Mann.
她说：“即便是你得到的工作的机会不是你所喜欢的， 我也会说，好的。尽可能地接受它，因为这可能会为你带来意想不到的好运。”
"I think it's a wake up call for everybody - for the government, for parents, for employers, but also for the young people," said Tarabishy. "t's not business as usual anymore. Things change, there's new rules to the game and they need to figure it our very fast."
商学院教授塔拉必希说：“这对所有人都是一记警钟，对政府、对父母、对雇主，同时也是对年轻人。现在是非常时期。事情在变化，游戏规则也变了，他们必须尽快找到这些规则。”
The Economic Policy Institute says the great tragedy is that young workers have fewer safety nets.
经济政策研究所说，对年轻人来说，最大的悲剧是他们几乎没有任何保障。
Shierholz says many graduating students who cannot find jobs will not qualify for unemployment benefits.
谢尔霍兹说，许多刚毕业找不到工作的学生没有资格获得失业补助。
"Young workers who have essentially no other safety net - the labor market has been pulled out from under them," she said. "They end up having to depend on their family and friends who may themselves be having adverse labor market outcomes."
她说：“年轻人基本上没有其他保障，而就业市场又无影无踪。他们不得不依靠家人和朋友，而这些人可能也是劳工市场的受害者。”
Shierholz says the good news is that job growth in the last six months has been consistently above numbers needed to keep up with normal population growth. She says her biggest worry is the heated political climate in Washington that appears increasingly willing to sacrifice job growth to reduce the nation's growing debt.
谢尔霍兹说，好消息是，过去六个月以来，就业机会的增加一直高于满足人口增长所需的数字。她说，她最大的担忧是华盛顿的政治气候，因为看起来，他们似乎更愿意牺牲就业来减少日渐增长的债务。 |