2. 外语
  3. Structural unemployment—the unemployment that remains even at the peak of the economy’s upswings—is caused by an imbalance betwe

Structural unemployment—the unemployment that remains even at the peak of the economy’s upswings—is caused by an imbalance betwe

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问题 Structural unemployment—the unemployment that remains even at the peak of the economy’s upswings—is caused by an imbalance between the types and locations of available employment on the one hand and the qualifications and locations of workers on the other hand. When such an imbalance exists, both labor shortages and unemployment may occur, despite a balance between supply and demand for labor in the economy as a whole.
Because technological change is likely to displace some workers, it is a major factor in producing structural unemployment. While technological advance almost invariably results in shifts in demands for different types of workers, it does not necessarily result in unemployment. Relatively small or gradual changes in demand are likely to cause little unemployment. In the individual firm or even in the labor market as a whole, normal attrition may be sufficient to reduce the size of the work force in the affected occupations. Relatively large or rapid changes, however, can cause serious problems. Workers may lose their jobs and find themselves without the skills necessary to obtain new jobs. Whether this displacement leads to structural unemployment depends on the amount of public and private sector resources devoted to retraining and placing those workers. Workers can be encouraged to move where there are jobs, to reeducate or retrain themselves, or to retire. In addition, other factors affecting structural unemployment, such as capital movement, can be controlled.
Increased structural unemployment, should it occur, makes it difficult for the economy to achieve desired low rates of unemployment along with low rates of inflation. If there is a growing pool of workers who lack the necessary skills for the available jobs, increases in total labor demand will rapidly generate shortages of qualified workers. As the wages of those workers are bid up, labor costs, and thus prices, rise. This phenomenon may be an important factor in the rising trend, observed for the past two decades, of unemployment combined with inflation. Government policy has placed a priority on reducing inflation, but these efforts have nevertheless caused unemployment to increase.
According to the passage, small downward shifts in the demand for labor will not usually cause unemployment because
选项 A、such shifts are frequently accompanied by upswings in the economy
B、such shifts usually occur slowly
C、workers can be encouraged to move to where there are jobs
D、normal attrition is often sufficient to reduce the size of the work force
E、workers are usually flexible enough to learn new skills and switch to new jobs
答案D
解析 Supporting idea
This question requires noting that the second paragraph of the passage discusses small changes in demand for labor: their effect on unemployment is likely to be small because normal attrition can reduce the size of the work force accordingly.
A The passage does not mention upswings in the economy in relation to small shifts in demand for labor. Furthermore, the passage indicates that structural unemployment can occur even at peaks of economic upswings, so presumably even if small downward shifts in the demand for labor are frequently accompanied by economic upswings, structural unemployment could still result.
B The passage suggests that shifts in demand for workers that do not result in unemployment may be small or gradual. Nothing indicates that small changes are also necessarily gradual.
C The second paragraph indicates that workers being encouraged to move to where there are jobs would be a reasonable response to large or rapid changes in demand for workers; it does not discuss such encouragement in relation to small shifts in demand.
D Correct. The passage identifies normal attrition as a factor that can reduce the work force sufficiently to accommodate small reductions in the demand for labor in particular occupations.
E Workers’ ability to learn new skills is identified in the passage as a factor affecting whether structural unemployment will grow in response to large or rapid changes, not small changes, in the demand for workers in particular occupations.
The correct answer is D.
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