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  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.
The passage suggests that the phenomenon of combined unemployment and inflation is
选项 A、a socioeconomic problem that can only be addressed by government intervention
B、a socioeconomic problem that can be characteristic of periods of structural unemployment
C、an economic problem that results from government intervention in management-labor relations
D、an economic problem that results from imperfect applications of technology
E、an economic problem that can be eliminated by relatively small changes in the labor force
答案B
解析 Supporting idea
This question depends on understanding the phenomenon of combined unemployment and inflation, which is addressed in the third paragraph. That paragraph states that a trend associated with structural unemployment—that of rising labor costs and prices—is responsible for the phenomenon.
A The third paragraph indicates that government policy has been unable, thus far, to remedy the problem of combined unemployment and inflation, and it gives no indication whether a nongovernmental solution is available.
B Correct. Periods of structural unemployment have, according to the passage, featured both inflation and unemployment.
C The passage does not discuss government intervention into management-labor relations.
D Certain applications of technology may be responsible for increasing structural unemployment, but the passage provides no way to distinguish between imperfect and other such applications.
E The passage discusses the phenomenon of combined unemployment and inflation only in relation to structural unemployment, which the passage suggests is likely to arise only in relation to large or rapid changes in demand for labor. Therefore, it seems unlikely that relatively small changes in the labor force can eliminate the phenomenon of combined unemployment and inflation.
The correct answer is B.
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