Unemployment insurance

失業(yè)保險(xiǎn)

Inefficiencies bedevil America’s response to soaring joblessness

效率低下困擾著美國(guó)對(duì)失業(yè)率飆升的反應(yīng)

America’s welfare system is creaking

美國(guó)的福利體系正在崩潰

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May 16th 2020 |

EILEEN SHEPPARD has been cutting hair professionally for 20 years. Now 39, she lives in a small town in upstate New York, and lost her livelihood when Andrew Cuomo, the state’s governor, shut down hair salons and other personal-care businesses on March 20th. Millions have found themselves in a similar position, pushing America’s unemployment rate to an 80-year high (see left-side chart). As elsewhere, New York’s computer systems could not handle the rush of applications for unemployment insurance (UI). Ms Sheppard spent hours each day refreshing the site, which kept crashing and losing the information she had entered, while trying to care for her son, who was out of school (her husband was at his job hours away). She eventually managed to apply, but nearly two months after she lost her job she has received no money—just a letter with further application instructions.

EILEEN SHEPPARD作為一名專業(yè)理發(fā)師已經(jīng)20年了?，F(xiàn)年39歲的她住在紐約州北部的一個(gè)小鎮(zhèn)上。3月20日，紐約州州長(zhǎng)Andrew Cuomo關(guān)閉了發(fā)廊和其他個(gè)人護(hù)理業(yè)務(wù)，這讓她失去了生計(jì)。數(shù)以百萬(wàn)計(jì)的人發(fā)現(xiàn)自己處于類似的境地，將美國(guó)的失業(yè)率推到了80年來(lái)的最高點(diǎn)(見(jiàn)下方左圖)。與其他地方一樣，紐約的計(jì)算機(jī)系統(tǒng)無(wú)法處理大量失業(yè)保險(xiǎn)申請(qǐng)【(UI)】。SHEPPARD? 女士每天都要花好幾個(gè)小時(shí)來(lái)更新這個(gè)網(wǎng)站，但這個(gè)網(wǎng)站一直在崩潰，她輸入的信息也反復(fù)丟失，同時(shí)她還要照顧失學(xué)的兒子(她的丈夫幾小時(shí)前還在上班)。她最終成功申請(qǐng)了，但在失業(yè)近兩個(gè)月后，她沒(méi)有收到任何錢——只是一封附有進(jìn)一步申請(qǐng)說(shuō)明的信。

So rapid a rise in unemployment would stress any country’s UI system. Some, such as Britain’s, have coped surprisingly well. America’s has not. The federal government funds the administration of these benefits through grants tied in part to how much each state paid in UI claims in the previous year. America’s long economic expansion left its system woefully underfunded. So although the weekly $600 top-up that Congress approved in late March is nominally generous, millions of people have not had their money. Preliminary data analysed by The Economist suggest that up to 15m Americans who applied for UI in March and April had not received money by the start of May.

如此迅速的失業(yè)率上升會(huì)對(duì)大部分國(guó)家的失業(yè)保險(xiǎn)制度造成壓力。但有些國(guó)家，【不翻譯】。美國(guó)卻并不。聯(lián)邦政府通過(guò)贈(zèng)款資助這些福利的管理，部分取決于每個(gè)州在前一年支付的失業(yè)保險(xiǎn)申請(qǐng)索賠金額。美國(guó)長(zhǎng)期的經(jīng)濟(jì)擴(kuò)張導(dǎo)致其金融體系資金嚴(yán)重不足。因此，盡管國(guó)會(huì)在3月底批準(zhǔn)的每周600美元的增資計(jì)劃名義上是慷慨的，但仍有數(shù)百萬(wàn)人沒(méi)有拿到錢?！督?jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人》分析的初步數(shù)據(jù)顯示，截至5月初，在3月和4月申請(qǐng)失業(yè)保險(xiǎn)的美國(guó)人中，有多達(dá)1500萬(wàn)人沒(méi)有拿到錢。

Compounding these administrative problems are looming political battles. The $600 booster expires at the end of July. Worries that America’s UI system is too generous and discourages work are growing on the right.

使這些行政問(wèn)題復(fù)雜化的是迫在眉睫的政治斗爭(zhēng)。600美元的應(yīng)急款將在7月底耗盡。顧慮美國(guó)的失業(yè)保險(xiǎn)制度過(guò)于慷慨，以至于越來(lái)越多的美國(guó)人工作熱情遭到打擊。

詞匯

Administrative/管理的，行政的

Like much else in America, UI is less one system than dozens, held together with some federal glue. It is intended to replace a share of lost wages while a recipient looks for work. Democrat-run states in the north-east tend to be more generous than Republican-run southern states, but overall, pre-pandemic America had perhaps the rich world’s stingiest system. The average payout in 2019 was equivalent to about 40% of previous earnings. Tough rules ensured that only those diligently seeking work would be granted welfare, and payouts were strictly time-limited.

就像美國(guó)其他地方一樣，失業(yè)保險(xiǎn)申請(qǐng)與其說(shuō)是一個(gè)系統(tǒng)，還不如說(shuō)是幾十個(gè)系統(tǒng)，它們是用聯(lián)邦政府的膠水粘在一起的。它的目的是讓收款方在找工作的期間彌補(bǔ)一部分損失的工資。民主黨控制的東北部州往往比共和黨控制的南部州更慷慨，但總的來(lái)說(shuō)，在流感大流行之前，美國(guó)的醫(yī)療體系可能是富裕國(guó)家中最吝嗇的。2019年的平均支付額相當(dāng)于之前收益的40%左右。嚴(yán)格的規(guī)定確保只有那些勤奮工作的人才能獲得福利，而且發(fā)放的時(shí)間也有嚴(yán)格的限制。

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Now America may have the world’s most generous system. Work-search requirements have been waived—rightly so, since people should be at home rather than pounding the pavement—and states have extended time limits on payouts. Workers deemed ineligible for ordinary UI, because they are self-employed, business owners or have an irregular work history, can now apply for benefits. And the extra $600 a week means that some can expect a hefty pay rise (see right-side chart). Goldman Sachs, a bank, estimates that three-quarters of laid-off workers are in line to receive benefits that exceed their former wage. Payments may be slow to arrive, but workers will in theory receive back-pay when their claims are finally processed.

【不翻譯，我不相信這句話】。找工作的要求已經(jīng)被拋棄了——的確該這么做，因?yàn)槿藗儜?yīng)該呆在家里，而不是在人行道上游蕩——各州也延長(zhǎng)了支付的時(shí)間限制。被認(rèn)為不符合普通失業(yè)補(bǔ)助申請(qǐng)的工人，因?yàn)樗麄兪莻€(gè)體經(jīng)營(yíng)者、企業(yè)主或有不正規(guī)的工作歷史，現(xiàn)在可以申請(qǐng)救濟(jì)。另外，每周600美元的額外收入意味著一些人可以期待大幅加薪(見(jiàn)右側(cè)圖表)。據(jù)高盛銀行估計(jì)，四分之三的下崗工人將獲得超過(guò)他們以前工資的福利。工資可能會(huì)延遲發(fā)放，但理論上講，當(dāng)他們的要求最終得到處理時(shí)，工人們會(huì)收到補(bǔ)發(fā)的工資。

詞匯

Ineligible/ ?不合格的；不適任的

The creation of some odd economic incentives was, to an extent, unavoidable. The states’ UI systems are archaic, relying on programming languages devised as long ago as 1959, making it impossible to tailor payouts more sharply. Hence the flat $600-a-week boost, which is, roughly, the difference between the national average weekly wage in 2019 ($970) and the average unemployment payout that year ($370). Giving some workers more money than they had earned in a job may not be the best use of public resources, but the people who benefit most are likely to be among America’s poorest. And the money thus “wasted” (about $80bn, on the highly unrealistic assumption that 30m workers are on the programme for an entire year) would amount to just 3% of America’s total fiscal stimulus.

在某種程度上，產(chǎn)生一些奇怪的經(jīng)濟(jì)刺激是不可避免的。美國(guó)的失業(yè)保險(xiǎn)申請(qǐng)系統(tǒng)非常陳舊，依賴于早在1959年就設(shè)計(jì)出來(lái)的編程語(yǔ)言，因此不可能對(duì)支出進(jìn)行更大幅度的調(diào)整。因此，每周600美元的工資增幅與2019年全國(guó)平均周薪(970美元)和當(dāng)年平均失業(yè)補(bǔ)貼(370美元)之間的差距大致相當(dāng)。給一些工人比他們?cè)谝环莨ぷ髦袙甑降母嗟腻X可能不是對(duì)公共資源的最佳利用，但受益最多的人可能是美國(guó)最貧窮的人。而由此“浪費(fèi)”的資金(約800億美元，基于一種極不現(xiàn)實(shí)的假設(shè)，即有3000萬(wàn)工人一整年都在該計(jì)劃中)將僅占美國(guó)財(cái)政刺激總額的3%。

Back to work

返工

Anyone hoping to game the benefits system is likely to be disappointed. Regulations are designed to foil people who quit a job in order to pick up an unemployment cheque. Having to quarantine because of household illness or care for a dependant with covid-19 will not cause anyone to lose their UI; refusing to work out of a general fear of illness will. Some reopening states, including Iowa, Ohio and Texas, encourage employers to report workers who refuse a job offer, disqualifying them from benefits.

任何希望玩弄福利制度的人都可能會(huì)失望。法規(guī)的目的是挫敗那些為了領(lǐng)取失業(yè)支票而辭職的人。因家庭成員患病而需隔離或者需照顧感染新冠病毒的患者的工人不會(huì)因此失去失業(yè)補(bǔ)助資格;但有些人出于對(duì)疾病的普遍恐懼而拒絕工作。一些重新開(kāi)放的州，包括愛(ài)荷華州、俄亥俄州和德克薩斯州，鼓勵(lì)雇主舉報(bào)拒絕工作的工人，使他們失去福利。

詞匯

Quarantine/檢疫隔離期；隔離

Dependant/受扶養(yǎng)者，依賴他人生活的人

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Some economists want the government to do more to encourage employers to reduce working hours rather than laying people off—especially useful when businesses are allowed to reopen but face weak demand. With such programmes, explains Annelies Goger of the Brookings Institution, a think-tank, workers “don’t get the message that they’ve lost their jobs. They get the message that things are on pause.” Just over half of American states have short-term-work programmes, with UI covering the lost hours, but take-up had been low. Since the pandemic began take-up has increased, and Michigan has expanded its programme; workers in the schemes remain eligible for supplemental benefits. Katharine Abraham at the University of Maryland points to research suggesting that merely raising employers’ awareness of such programmes could make a big difference.

一些經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家希望政府采取更多措施鼓勵(lì)雇主減少工作時(shí)間，而不是裁員——這在企業(yè)獲準(zhǔn)重新開(kāi)業(yè)但需求疲弱的情況下尤其有用。智庫(kù)布魯金斯學(xué)會(huì)的Annelies Goger解釋說(shuō)，有了這樣的模式，工人們“不會(huì)得到失業(yè)的信息”。他們得到的信息是，事情處于暫停狀態(tài)。超過(guò)一半的美國(guó)州有短期工作計(jì)劃，失業(yè)保險(xiǎn)覆蓋了損失的工作時(shí)間，但使用率一直很低。自流感大流行開(kāi)始以來(lái)，接受治療的人數(shù)有所增加，密歇根州也擴(kuò)大了其計(jì)劃;參加該計(jì)劃的工人仍有資格獲得補(bǔ)充福利。馬里蘭大學(xué)(University of Maryland)的Katharine Abraham指出，一項(xiàng)研究表明，僅僅提高雇主對(duì)此類計(jì)劃的認(rèn)識(shí)，就可能意義非凡。

Another option would be to prolong the more generous unemployment system past July. Michael Bennet, a Democratic senator from Colorado, has proposed extending the current level of federal UI until the public-health emergency ends, and then gradually reducing benefits. But at some point such payouts will hinder the economic recovery, in particular the reallocation of workers from declining sectors to up-and-coming ones. Some research has indicated that a reduction in unemployment benefits in 2014-15 helped kick-start America’s pre-pandemic jobs boom.

另一種選擇是將更為慷慨的失業(yè)制度延長(zhǎng)至7月份以后。來(lái)自科羅拉多州的民主黨參議員邁克爾?班納特(Michael Bennet)提議，將目前的聯(lián)邦醫(yī)療保險(xiǎn)延長(zhǎng)至公共衛(wèi)生緊急狀況結(jié)束，然后逐步減少福利。但在某種程度上，這樣的支出將會(huì)阻礙經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇，尤其是阻礙工人從衰退行業(yè)向復(fù)蘇行業(yè)的重新分配。一些研究表明，2014-15年失業(yè)救濟(jì)的減少幫助開(kāi)啟了美國(guó)大流行前的就業(yè)熱潮。

詞匯

kick-start/刺激；提供初始動(dòng)力

Most probably, the unemployment system will return to its pre-pandemic ways sooner rather than later. Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator, has said the $600-a-week programme would be extended “over our dead bodies”. The economy is reopening and bosses are looking for workers. Congressional Republicans have pressed for broader protections for employers, similar to those given by President Donald Trump to the meat industry, which would shield them from liability for covid-related deaths provided they follow minimum federal safety standards. Democrats may reluctantly fall in line in exchange for more state and local aid in the next round of relief. Before long, many American workers will face unpalatable choices.?

最有可能的是，失業(yè)體系遲早會(huì)恢復(fù)到大流行前的狀態(tài)。共和黨參議員Lindsey Graham表示，這項(xiàng)每周600美元的計(jì)劃將“掩蓋我們的【】”。經(jīng)濟(jì)正在恢復(fù)，老板們正在尋找工人。國(guó)會(huì)的共和黨人敦促對(duì)雇主提供更廣泛的保護(hù)，類似于 Donald Trump總統(tǒng)對(duì)肉類行業(yè)的保護(hù)，如果雇主遵守最低聯(lián)邦安全標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，就可以免于承擔(dān)與新冠病毒相關(guān)的死亡責(zé)任。民主黨人可能不情愿地同意在下一輪救援中提供更多的州和地方援助。不久之后，許多美國(guó)工人將面臨難以接受的選擇。