2020年经济学人 熊彼特企业管理专栏--疫情造成的欧美失业潮(2)（在线收听）

In the current crisis it may seem fair to ask American firms to take a more European approach. After all, business activity has collapsed not because of slothful work habits, but because governments have ordered people to stay at home. This is not a slump that needs to be fixed with an orgy of creative destruction in the jobs market. And however deep the downturn, the rebound could be relatively quick. If so, it makes sense for companies and employees to maintain ties, so that production can resume briskly when things improve.

在当前的危机中，要求美国公司采取更加欧洲化的做法似乎是合理的。毕竟，商业活动的崩溃不是因为懒惰的工作习惯，而是因为政府下达指示让人们呆在家里。这不是一场需要通过就业市场上创造性破坏的狂欢来修复的衰退。不管经济下滑的程度有多深，反弹的速度都可能相对较快。如果是这样，公司和员工保持联系是有意义的，这样当疫情过去时，生产就可以迅速恢复。

Yet one feature of this crisis in fact makes it all the more important to maintain flexible labour practices: the jobs market has bifurcated. In industries that bring people together, such as hotels, airlines, casinos and restaurants, demand for workers has collapsed. Those that provide access to health care (such as hospitals), staples (supermarkets) or services catering to those stuck at home (e-commerce) are clamouring for more staff. For all the merits of Europe’s labour-support programmes, the risk is that they last too long and dissuade workers from switching to industries where their help is badly needed.

然而，这场危机的一个特点实际上使保持灵活的劳工做法变得更加重要：就业市场已经分化。在酒店、航空、赌场和餐馆等将人们聚集在一起的行业，对工人的需求大幅下降。那些提供卫生保健的机构(如医院)、主要食品(超市)或被困在家里的人所需的服务(如电子商务)的公司，则迫切需要更多的员工。尽管欧洲的劳工支持计划有诸多优点，但其风险在于，这些计划持续时间过长，而且会阻止工人们转投那些急需他们帮助的行业。

Already the response of American firms to the jobs crisis is taking an unfamiliar route. Though many of the small businesses that provide about half of private-sector employment in America were quickly forced to let workers go to survive, the government has stepped in to ease the pain. Its $2trn support programme has temporarily increased unemployment benefits. A $350bn lifeline to small businesses within the stimulus package encourages them to cling on to staff if they can.

美国公司对就业危机的反应已经走上了一条陌生的道路。尽管为美国提供了约一半私营部门就业机会的许多小企业很快被迫让工人离开，但政府已经介入，缓解了痛苦。其2万亿美元的支持计划暂时增加了失业救济金。刺激计划中针对小企业的3500亿美元的生命线，鼓励小企业尽可能留住员工。

Some bigger American firms, such as Hilton, its rivals like Hyatt and Marriott, and retailers such as Macy’s and Gap, are taking a different tack. Instead of sacking staff, they have announced that tens of thousands of their employees will be furloughed, which in America means being put on unpaid leave. Crucially, the furloughed workers get to keep their company health insurance. They can also, in most cases, claim unemployment benefits. To ease resentments, those who remain in work, including executives, will suffer pay cuts.

一些更大的美国公司，如希尔顿，其竞争对手如凯悦和万豪，以及零售商如梅西百货和盖普，正在采取不同的策略。他们没有解雇员工，而是宣布数万名员工将被迫休假，这在美国意味着无薪休假。至关重要的是，被解雇的员工可以继续享受公司的医疗保险。在大多数情况下，他们还可以申请失业救济。为了缓解不满情绪，那些仍在工作的人，包括高管，将遭受减薪。