VOA标准英语2014--外国劳工大量涌入导致索马里青年就业压力大

 

Flood of Foreign Workers Leave Young Somalis Out of Work 外国劳工大量涌入导致索马里青年就业压力大

MOGADISHU—

Romans Onyango is the site engineer at one of Mogadishu’s luxury apartment buildings under construction.

While there are no official numbers, the Kenyan national is one of the many foreign workers attracted to the Somali capital by lucrative¹ contracts.

“There are so many Kenyans coming here — people from all over Africa: Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, everywhere," he says.

In the past two years, African Union troops have pushed out warlords and al-Shabab militants², allowing for elections and the first real government in decades.

With some stability returning, Mogadishu, once referred to as the “ghost city,” is getting a facelift with a building boom and even traffic jams.

With development on the upswing, the on-rush of foreign laborers³ isn't sitting well with some locals.

“Most of the Mogadishu youths are not happy with the increase of foreign staff," says Mogadishu resident Abdinur Mohamed. "The government should create a law that dictates⁴ at least 80% of the staff in all sectors⁵ of the economy to be from the local community”.

According to Mohamed, it's a sentiment shared by most young Somalis, many of whom were unable to secure the necessary qualifications or training due to the country’s ongoing⁶ conflict. Even recent graduates are facing few job prospects⁷, and some are demanding limited-duration work permits foreign experts.

“There is nothing wrong with bringing foreign expertise⁸, but let them stay for a specific period, like a year," says Mohamed. "Within that year, let them train Somali staff so that they may be able to take up these roles in the future.”

While government officials have vowed⁹ new initiatives designed to create new opportunities for young Somalis, Mohamed and others like him can only hope the once-lawless nation's newfound stability will help them build a better life.

1 lucrative   

adj.赚钱的，可获利的

参考例句：

• He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
• It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。

2 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

3 laborers   

n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工

参考例句：

• Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

4 dictates   

n.命令，规定，要求( dictate的名词复数 )v.大声讲或读( dictate的第三人称单数 )；口授；支配；摆布

参考例句：

• Convention dictates that a minister should resign in such a situation. 依照常规部长在这种情况下应该辞职。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He always follows the dictates of common sense. 他总是按常识行事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

7 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

8 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

9 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。