Z 世代的困境
2025年，加拿大的青年失业率攀上近30年来新高。数以千计的毕业生在数百次投递后仍难找到合适工作，只为勉强维持生活。有专家称，青年失业是劳动力市场的“金丝雀”，预示更深层次的经济动荡。本期，神通小助手带你精读这篇CBC的新闻，走近这场Z世代的就业寒冬，看看“扫地的工程师”背后，是怎样的代际焦虑与结构困局。
From left, Thivian Varnacumaaran, Sarah Chung and Ben Gooch. These young Canadians are recent graduates who have found navigating the labour market deeply challenging against the backdrop of a soaring youth unemployment rate. (L.J. Cake/Illustration/CBC)
左起：Thivian Varnacumaaran、Sarah Chung 和 Ben Gooch。这些加拿大年轻人都是刚毕业不久，在青年失业率飙升的背景下，他们发现在劳动力市场上摸爬滚打极具挑战性。(L.J. Cake/插图/加拿大广播公司）
手里拿毕业帽的 Sarah Chung 在毕业典礼前身着学校服饰摆姿势拍照。校园气氛欢乐，但接下来发生的事情发人深省：这位荣誉学生即将毕业，进入几十年来最糟糕的青年劳动力市场之一。
Graduation cap in hand, Sarah Chung is posing for photos in school regalia ahead of her convocation ceremony. The campus atmosphere is joyful, but what comes next is sobering: this honours student is graduating into one of the worst youth labour markets seen in decades.
Graduation cap in hand：倒装结构，相当于 “With a graduation cap in her hand”；是写作中常用的修辞。
regalia (n.)：正式场合的礼服，指学位服。
convocation ceremony：毕业典礼。convocation = 正式集会，在加拿大学术语境中常见。
sobering (adj.)：令人警醒的；形容从轻松转为沉重的情绪。
labour market：劳动力市场；是经济类话题常用词。
seen in decades：过去几十年来所见，是新闻标题中常见句式。
“这很凄凉，”这位 23 岁的卡尔加里大学媒体和传播专业毕业生说。她一直无法在自己的领域找到工作，并表示她打算攻读硕士学位。
"It's bleak," said the 23-year-old graduate of the University of Calgary's media and communications program. She hasn't been able to find a job in her field and said she intends to pursue a master's degree.
bleak (adj.)：形容前景黯淡、令人沮丧。
hasn't been able to...：现在完成时的否定结构，表示到目前为止都没能做到。
in her field：表示“在她的专业领域”；field 是常用学术/职业词汇。
intends to pursue：intend to 是“打算”，pursue a degree 表示“攻读学位”。
“我相信这很艰难，只是因为经济、我们的社会和政治发生的一切，”她说。“有很多关于'经济衰退即将到来'的讨论。我不是经济学家，但我也能看到这一点。”
"I believe that it's tough just because of everything that's happening with the economy, with our society and with politics," she said. "There's a whole [lot] of talk about 'there's a recession coming.' I'm not an economist, but I can also see it as well."
just because of everything that's happening with...：表达“正是因为……的一切”，说明原因。
a whole lot of talk about...：口语中表示“人们议论纷纷”；a lot of 的加强语。
recession (n.)：经济衰退；是新闻和经济词汇常见核心词。
I'm not an economist...：常见表达结构，用于引出个人观察或意见。
see it as well：意为“我也能感受到这一点”。
Chung是面临加拿大近四分之一个世纪以来最高青年失业率的一代人中的一员。
Chung is part of a generation facing Canada's highest youth unemployment rate in about a quarter-century.
part of a generation：表示某一代人中的一份子。
facing...：现在分词作后置定语，表示正在面对。
a quarter-century：25年，新闻中常见表达周期的方式。
youth unemployment rate：青年失业率；是文章的核心概念。
根据加拿大统计局第一季度的数据，除了大流行之外，15 至 24 岁的加拿大毕业生正面临该国自 1990 年代中期以来最高的失业率。
Apart from the pandemic, Canadian graduates between the ages of 15 and 24 are facing the highest unemployment rate this country has seen since the mid-1990s, according to first quarter data from Statistics Canada.
Apart from the pandemic：排除疫情影响，常见句式。
between the ages of 15 and 24：明确的统计人口范围。
this country has seen：现在完成时，指至今为止国家“所见过的”。
Statistics Canada：加拿大统计局，数据权威来源。
当时，让·克雷蒂安是加拿大总理，Z 世代在他们父母的眼中只是一闪而过，全球劳动力尚未被社交媒体、零工和人工智能所改变。
At that time, Jean Chrétien was Canada's prime minister, Gen Z was but a twinkle in their parents' eyes, and the global workforce had yet to be transformed by social media, gig work and artificial intelligence.
but a twinkle in...：比喻“尚未出生”，形象生动。
had yet to be transformed：过去完成时，被动语态，表示“还未被改变”。
gig work：临时零工经济；是现代就业结构的重要词汇。
快进到 2025 年，加拿大最年轻的工人正在努力应对一场完美的经济状况风暴：大流行之后出现的通货膨胀危机；人口增长速度超过了可用工作岗位的数量；而现在，随着美国贸易战对经济造成不确定性，一个国家正徘徊在衰退中。
Fast forward to 2025, and Canada's youngest workers are grappling with a perfect storm of economic conditions: an inflation crisis that came on the heels of a pandemic; a surge in population growth that has outpaced the number of available jobs; and now, a country teetering closer to recession as the U.S. trade war wreaks uncertainty on the economy.
Fast forward to...：引出时间跳跃，写作中常用于“快进到……”。
grappling with：挣扎应对；常用于表示面对难题。
a perfect storm：比喻“多重不利因素叠加”，常见于经济报道。
on the heels of...：表示紧随……之后。
outpaced：超过，形容增长速度。
teetering closer to recession：teeter 意为“摇摇欲坠”，形象描述即将陷入衰退的状态。
wreaks uncertainty：wreak (v.) 表示“造成（破坏、不确定性等）”，是书面正式表达。
一位专家表示，青年失业可能是“煤矿中的金丝雀”，预示着劳动力市场将出现更广泛的麻烦。
One expert says youth unemployment can be a "canary in the coal mine" that foreshadows broader troubles in the labour market.
canary in the coal mine：惯用比喻，表示“预警信号”；来自煤矿里用金丝雀探测有毒气体。
foreshadows：v. 预示、预兆，是文学和新闻中的高频词。
broader troubles：更广泛的问题，broader 是“范围更广的”形容词。
数据未经季节性调整。
高等教育包括以下最高教育水平的人：
- 技工证书或文凭 - 社区学院、CEGEP 等 - 学士以下的大学证书 - 学士学位 - 学士以上的大学证书、文凭或学位
资料来源：加拿大统计局，劳动力调查，定制表格（加拿大广播公司）
“这是一种早期预警指标，”多伦多城市大学未来技能中心的研究主任特里西娅·威廉姆斯说，该中心致力于研究工作的未来。
"It's kind of an early warning indicator," said Tricia Williams, director of research at Future Skills Centre, a Toronto Metropolitan University lab dedicated to studying the future of work.
early warning indicator：政策、金融类术语，指“预警指标”。
dedicated to studying：dedicated to + 名词/动名词，表示“致力于……”的句型。
the future of work：现代社会新研究领域，关注职业、技术与教育变革。
“这不仅仅是为了获得工作和技能经验。这是关于更大的结构支撑和年轻人所处的环境。”
"It's not just about getting jobs and skills experience. It's about the larger structural supports and the environment that young people are coming into."
not just about... it's about...：对比结构，强调转向核心问题。
structural supports：结构性支持，指制度层面的保障（如社会保障、教育体系等）。
are coming into：进入某种状态或环境；是延续性动作的现在进行时。
'It is disheartening'
“这令人沮丧”
青年失业率在 2024 年春季开始回升。与此同时，在 20 岁出头的年轻人中，没有接受教育、就业或培训的年轻人人数（一种称为 NEET 率的经济指标）有所增加，这主要是由于非学生难以找到工作。
Youth unemployment started ticking back up in the spring of 2024. At the same time, the number of young people not in education, employment or training — an economic measure called the NEET rate — has risen among youth in their early 20s, mainly driven by non-students having trouble finding work.
ticking back up：口语中表示“再次上升”，tick 是逐步的、缓慢上升。
not in education, employment or training：简称 NEET，是政策研究中的常用指标。
mainly driven by...：说明趋势的原因；driven by（受……推动）是写作中常用因果结构。
having trouble doing...：表示“在……方面遇到困难”，是日常表达中的高频结构。
Bernard 表示，今年年初劳动力市场似乎正在稳定时，人们有一些谨慎的乐观情绪。但自 4 月以来，加拿大经济一直受到美国贸易战不确定性的冲击，随着整体失业率的上升，这可能会扼杀招聘胃口。
Bernard said there was some cautious optimism at the beginning of this year, when the labour market seemed to be stabilizing. But the Canadian economy has been rocked by U.S. trade war uncertainty since April, potentially stifling the hiring appetite as the overall unemployment rate rises.
cautious optimism：常见组合，表示“谨慎乐观”，在经济报道中频繁使用。
seemed to be stabilizing：seem + to be doing 是描述趋势的结构。
rocked by：比喻“被冲击”，rock 作为动词表示“剧烈影响”。
stifling the hiring appetite：stifle 是“抑制、扼杀”，hiring appetite 指“招聘意愿”。
“这令人沮丧，”约克大学电气工程专业学生蒂维安·瓦尔纳库马兰说，他估计自去年12月开始寻找工作以来，他已经申请了400到500个工作，但没有运气。
"It is disheartening," said Thivian Varnacumaaran, an electrical engineering student in his final year at York University who estimates that he's applied for 400 to 500 jobs — with no luck — since he started searching in December.
disheartening (adj.)：令人沮丧的，是 heartbreaking 的同类词汇。
in his final year：大学/高中最后一年，常见表达。
applied for... with no luck：意为“申请了……但没成功”；with no luck 是常见口语表达。
“我不会说我很悲观，但我对这种情况真的很现实，”这位 25 岁的年轻人补充道。
"I wouldn't say I'm pessimistic, but I'm really realistic about the situation," the 25-year-old added.
wouldn't say：表示“我不想说/不能说”，用于表达婉转立场。
realistic (adj.)：现实的、务实的，对比 pessimistic（悲观的）。
about the situation：常用于讨论某种处境或局势。
阿尔伯塔省中央贸易协会的首席经济学家查尔斯·圣-阿尔诺表示，即使没有陷入衰退区间，经济现在也是“低迷的”。他预计未来几个月会出现更多恶化迹象，并指出年轻人可能会首当其冲地受到这些情况的影响。
Charles St-Arnaud, chief economist at trade association Alberta Central, says the economy is now "sluggish" even without having breached recession territory. He expects more signs of deterioration in the coming months, and noted that young people will likely bear the brunt of those conditions.
sluggish (adj.)：形容经济增长缓慢，是“低迷”的同义词。
breached recession territory：breach 表示“突破、跨入”，指尚未正式进入衰退阶段。
bear the brunt of...：固定搭配，表示“首当其冲地承受……”，是表达受害方的常用结构。
“企业在减少员工人数时通常会采取我所说的‘后进先出’类型的策略，”St-Arnaud 说。“刚刚被雇用的年轻人群在经济低迷时期更有可能被解雇。”
"Often businesses do what I would call the 'last in, first out' type of strategy when they reduce headcount," said St-Arnaud. "The younger population that has been just hired are more at risk of being laid off in a downturn."
last in, first out：企业裁员策略中的专业术语，指“最后进来的人最先被裁”。
reduce headcount：headcount 表示“员工人数”，是HR领域常见词汇。
laid off in a downturn：laid off 是“被裁员”，downturn 是“经济下行”。
The scars of unemployment
失业的伤痕
黯淡的招聘环境让一些年轻人找工作只是为了领先于账单。
The bleak hiring landscape has some young people taking jobs just to stay ahead of the bills.
bleak hiring landscape：暗示就业市场前景不佳。
stay ahead of the bills：口语表达，表示“赚够钱不欠账单”，含义是“维持基本生存”。
“我昨天花了两个小时扫地，我有机械工程学位，”来自安大略省邓达斯的 24 岁的 Ben Gooch 说。
"I spent two hours sweeping yesterday, and I have a mechanical engineering degree," said 24-year-old Ben Gooch of Dundas, Ont.
sweeping：打扫卫生，字面和心理落差形成讽刺感。
mechanical engineering degree：工程类高学历，反差体现就业问题。
这位麦克马斯特毕业生在一家园艺中心兼职工作以支付他的一些生活费用，自 12 月以来已经申请了 100 多份工作，但只有少数几次面试可以证明这一点。“我觉得我只是向墙上扔飞镖，希望能运气好，打中什么东西。”
The McMaster graduate is working part-time at a garden centre to cover some of his living expenses, having applied for upward of 100 jobs since December with only a handful of interviews to show for it. "I feel like I'm just throwing darts out at a wall and hoping to get lucky and hit something."
working part-time to cover...：典型学生/毕业生状态，cover expenses 表示“支付开销”。
a handful of interviews：handful = very few，表示“屈指可数的”。
throwing darts...：比喻“胡乱尝试”，口语生动表达无方向感和无力感。
数据显示，年轻毕业生从事只需要高中文凭的工作是相当普遍的。
Data shows that it's fairly common for young graduates to work in a job that only requires a high school diploma.
fairly common：相当普遍，fairly 是轻程度副词。
requires a high school diploma：教育层级用法，diploma = 毕业证书。
但加拿大的研究表明，在经济衰退期间年轻时失业会导致此后许多年持续但非永久性的收入损失——这种现象经过充分研究，被称为“工资疤痕”。其他研究还表明，在经济衰退期间进入劳动力市场会影响一个人的健康状况。
But Canadian research has shown that being unemployed at a young age during a recession can lead to a persistent but non-permanent earnings loss for many years after — a well-studied phenomenon known as "wage scarring." Other research also suggests that entering the labour market during a recession can impact a person's health outcomes.
persistent but non-permanent：持续但非永久性，是学术语言中常见对比用法。
wage scarring：专业术语，指因失业带来的长期收入下降效应。
health outcomes：健康结果，是社会学/公共卫生研究中常见概念。
“它可能导致疤痕——我的意思是，我们可能会认为它是一种暂时的瑕疵——但当经济陷入严重衰退时，它可能会产生长期影响，”迈尔斯·科拉克说。
"Where it can lead to scarring — I mean, we might think of it as sort of a temporary blemish — but it can have long term implications when the economy goes into a serious recession," said Miles Corak, an Ottawa-based economics professor at the City University of New York's Graduate Centre.
temporary blemish：blemish 是“瑕疵”，多用于比喻语境，强调不是永久性损害。
long term implications：长远影响；implication 是正式语境中表示后果的常用词。
goes into a serious recession：描述进入严重经济衰退的过程。
在经济衰退期间毕业的人的长期收入前景受到抑制——不是因为他们没有找到工作，而是最终他们落入了劳动力市场的一部分，而这些市场并不是那么高薪，从事的是他们没有预料到会从事的职业，”科拉克说。
"Long-term earnings prospects are dampened for people graduating during the recession — not because they're not getting jobs, but eventually they fall into a part of the labour market that isn't as high-paying, in types of occupations that they didn't anticipate doing," said Corak.“
