Exodus of more than half a million from workforce ‘puts UK economy at risk’
-Loss of employees since Covid raises fears of weaker growth and higher inflation, says Lords report

超过50万劳动力外流“使英国经济面临风险”
——上议院报告称,自新冠疫情以来,员工的流失引发了人们对增长疲软和通胀上升的担忧


(London commuters. The Lords report suggests early retirement among 50- to 64-year-olds is the key driver of rising economic inactivity.)

(伦敦的上班族。英国上议院的报告显示,50岁至64岁人群提前退休是经济不活跃程度上升的主要驱动因素。)
新闻:

An exodus of more than half a million people from the British workforce since the Covid pandemic is putting the economy at risk of weaker growth and persistently higher inflation, a Lords report has warned.

英国上议院的一份报告警告称,自新冠大流行以来,超过50万人离开了英国劳动力市场,这使英国经济面临增长放缓和通胀持续走高的风险。

The House of Lords economic affairs committee said the sharp rise in economic inactivity – when working-age adults are neither in employment nor looking for a job – since the onset of the health emergency was posing “serious challenges” to the economy.

英国上议院经济事务委员会表示,自疫情爆发以来,处于工作年龄的成年人既没有工作也没有找工作,经济不活跃现象急剧上升,对经济构成了“严重挑战”。
原创翻译:龙腾网 http://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


Against a backdrop of severe staff shortages across the country, it said earlier retirement among 50- to 64-year-olds was the biggest contributor to a rise in economic inactivity of 565,000 since the start of the pandemic.

该机构表示,在全国各地员工严重短缺的背景下,50岁至64岁人群提前退休是自疫情开始以来经济不活跃人数增加56.5万人的最大原因。
原创翻译:龙腾网 http://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


Rising sickness rates among working-age adults, as well as changes in the structure of migration after Brexit and an ageing UK population were also key drivers behind the rise of the “missing” workforce, it said.

报告称,劳动年龄成年人的发病率上升,以及英国脱欧后移民结构的变化和英国人口老龄化,也是“失踪”劳动力增加的主要驱动因素。

According to the report, “Where have all the workers gone?”, workforce shortages exacerbated by the loss of these individuals from the labour market stands to damage economic growth in the near term, while also reducing tax revenues available to finance public services.

根据这份题为《工人都去哪儿了?》的报告,劳动力市场上这些人的流失加剧了劳动力短缺,这将在短期内损害经济增长,同时也会减少用于公共服务的税收收入。

It said the fall in the labour supply could also add to inflationary pressure, as employers compete for fewer available workers by raising wages. Inflation slowed from a peak of more than 11% in October to 10.7% in November, still among the highest rates since the early 1980s. Average wage growth in the UK has strengthened to about 6% in recent months, although it remains significantly below inflation.

该机构表示,劳动力供应下降也可能加剧通胀压力,因为雇主会通过提高工资来争夺更少的可用劳动力。通货膨胀率从10月份超过11%的峰值降至11月份的10.7%,仍然处于20世纪80年代初以来的最高水平。最近几个月,英国的平均工资增长已加强至约6%,尽管仍明显低于通货膨胀率。

The report comes amid concerns over Britain’s position as the only country in the developed world with employment still expected to be below its pre-pandemic level at the start of 2023.

该报告发布之际,人们担心英国是唯一一个就业预计在2023年初仍将低于大流行前水平的发达国家。

Reflecting the risks to the economy, the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, used last month’s autumn statement to launch a review of workforce participation, which is due to conclude early next year.

作为对经济风险的反映,财政大臣杰里米·亨特利用上个月的秋季声明启动了对劳动力参与率的评估,该评估将于明年初结束。

Economists have warned that a deterioration in public services over recent years and record NHS waiting lists are contributing to the problem, amid a sharp rise in rates of long-term sickness.

经济学家警告说,近年来公共服务的恶化和创纪录的国家医疗体系等候名单是造成这一问题的原因,长期疾病的发病率急剧上升。

However, the Lords report suggested the decision to retire early among 50- to 64-year-olds was the key driver of rising economic inactivity, with many appearing reasonably well off. Although it said this group may yet feel the full impact of the cost of living crisis, which could lead more people to return to work to meet rising expenses, it suggested that it was unlikely for a significant proportion of those who exited the workforce in 2020 to come back.

然而,上议院的报告显示,50岁至64岁人群提前退休的决定是经济停滞加剧的关键驱动因素,其中许多人似乎相当富裕。尽管该机构表示,这一群体可能会感受到生活成本危机的全面影响,这可能会导致更多的人重返工作岗位,以满足不断上涨的支出,但它表示,2020年退出劳动力市场的很大一部分人不太可能再回来了。

Separate figures from the Office for National Statistics published on Monday show those in economic inactivity aged between 50 and 65 years old who were considering a return to work were typically at the younger end of the age bracket.

英国国家统计局周一公布的另一组数据显示,年龄在50岁至65岁之间、处于无经济活动状态、正在考虑重返工作岗位的人,通常处于这个年龄段的最年轻端。

Money was also an important motivation, particularly for those less likely to be able to pay an unexpected but necessary bill, or who were paying off a loan or mortgage.

金钱也是一个重要的动机,特别是对于那些不太可能支付意外但必要的账单的人,或者正在偿还贷款或抵押贷款的人。

Lord Bridges of Headley, the chair of the Lords economic affairs committee, said: “Taken together these findings are, like mid-winter, bleak. The rise in economic inactivity makes it harder to control inflation, damages growth and puts pressure on already stretched public finances.

英国上议院经济事务委员会主席布里奇斯勋爵说:“综合来看,这些发现就像仲冬一样令人沮丧。经济不活跃程度的上升,加大了控制通胀的难度,损害了经济增长,并给本已捉襟见肘的公共财政带来压力。

“That’s why it’s critical the government does more to understand the causes of increased inactivity, and whether this trend is likely to persist.”

“这就是为什么政府对了解不活跃增加的原因以及这种趋势是否会持续下去至关重要。”