首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Compared with the systems in other industrialized countries, the American unemployment-insurance (UI) scheme pays lower benefits
Compared with the systems in other industrialized countries, the American unemployment-insurance (UI) scheme pays lower benefits
admin
2017-04-20
99
问题
Compared with the systems in other industrialized countries, the American unemployment-insurance (UI) scheme pays lower benefits for less time and to a smaller share of the unemployed. In expansions this encourages the jobless to return quickly to work—and unemployed Americans do indeed work harder at finding jobs than their European counterparts (see chart). But in recessions, when there is less work to return to, it causes hardship. Like America’s training system, UI is ripe for attention from the incoming Obama administration.
Like much of the social safety net, the current UI system was a product of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal. States were prodded to provide benefits in accordance with federal guidelines; in return the federal government paid their administrative costs. But the system has not kept up with changes in America’s labor force.
States often require beneficiaries to have worked or earned an amount that disqualifies many part-time and low-wage workers. They also disqualify people seeking only part-time work—even though many people now work part-time for family reasons. Benefits typically last for only six months, more than enough time to find a new job in normal times but not in recessions. Extended benefits kick in automatically when unemployment reaches certain thresholds, but those thresholds are so high that they are almost never triggered.
Congress therefore has to pass special legislation to extend benefits, as it did twice last year, but political wrangling often delays such action. In the week that ended on December 20th, 586,000 workers filed a first claim for unemployment benefits, the largest number for 26 years. Yet such claimants are, in one sense, lucky, typically, 60% of unemployed people don’t qualify for the benefits at all.
Unemployment insurance is one of the economy’s most important automatic stabilisers, helping to maintain household purchasing power when the economy weakens. But that role is impaired by the short duration of benefits and their skimpy level. At just under $300, the average weekly benefit is less than half the average private-sector wage. Mississippi’s maximum benefit of $230 is not much more than the federal poverty threshold of $200 for an individual. Benefits are low, in part, because they are financed by payroll taxes that states levy on their employers. States don’t like to raise such taxes, even when times are good. But that means they lack the funds to pay benefits when times are bad, forcing them to raise other taxes or borrow from the federal government, as some 30 states are now considering.
One of the best features of America’s system is "experience rating": employers that frequently lay workers off must pay higher payroll taxes, thereby discouraging such lay-offs. But according to Alan Krueger of Princeton, many states have neutered that feature by charging most employers the lowest tax rate.
Several moves are afoot to mend the flaws in the UI system. Under a bill put forward by Jim McDermott, a congressman from Seattle, the government would offer cash incentives to states to expand eligibility to part-time workers and make the benefit formula more generous. A second bill would significantly expand eligibility for the 46-year old Trade Adjustment Assistance programme, for example by including service-sector workers and providing more generous benefits. Both measures passed the House of Representatives but stalled in the Senate. As a senator, Barack Obama backed both. As president, he might make them reality.
Which of the following has NOT been proposed to mend the UI system?
选项
A、To encourage more jobless to return to work.
B、To increase the amount of benefits in the system.
C、To extend the range of beneficiaries to more sectors.
D、To lower the thresholds by which part-time workers are included in the system.
答案
A
解析
细节题。本题考查的信息在最后一段,作者提到政府正在对现行的失业保障体系进行商讨,提出相应的议案,议案里的具体措施有:“expand eligibility to part-time workers”,“make the benefit formula more generous”和“including service-workers”。[B]是对第二个具体措施的同义转述;[C]表达了第三个具体措施的含义;[D]“降低进入保障体系的门槛”,与“expand eligibility”是同样的意思。[A]是说鼓励更多的失业者再就业,原文是在说明现行的失业保障体系的作用时提到这一内容的,但它不是政府商讨的议案内容,故答案为[A]。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/tAzK777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
Whoisregardedas"theFatherofEnglishPoetry"?
Itisreportedthatacademicdishonestyhasbecomeendemicinalllevelsofeducation.Evensomefamousprofessorsandexpertsc
CharacterAnalysisofShakespeareanPlaysI.Characteranalysis—characterevaluationasthebestwaytostarttheanalysisof
GoodWritingEducatorsinEnglish-speakingcountrieshavedevelopedasetofbasiccharacteristicsofgoodEnglishwriting—
Whatdoesthenewsitemmainlyreport?
GlobalwarmingcouldactuallychilldownNorthAmericawithinjustafewdecades,accordingtoanewstudythatsaysasuddenco
Americansarestillchucklingaboutthe"pantssuit".Aman—ajudge,noless—suedhisdrycleanersfor$54mforallegedlylosin
HistoryshowsitisonlywhentheeconomyisinthemudthatAmericansfeelfreetodowhattheywanttodo.AstheauthorJ.K.
LangstonHughes,aprolificwriterofthe1920’swasconcernedwiththedepictingtheexperienceofurbanBlackpeopleintheUn
PASSAGETWO
随机试题
男青年病人,中午全身麻醉手术后送返病房。护士将病人挪到床上,因有被子盖住,病人的右上肢被压在背上未能发觉,晚上病人从麻醉中醒来,大声呻吟,护士未作检查,只遵医嘱打止痛针一次,病人安卧到第二天早晨,查体温脉搏时才发现右前臂乌红肿胀,皮肤出现水疱,急切开前臂前
下列哪种颅内肿瘤不需要放射治疗
患者,男,32岁,2周来右侧后牙喝冷热水引起疼痛。近3日来,夜间痛影响睡眠.并引起半侧耳后部痛.服镇痛药效果不明显。检查时见右侧上、下后牙多个充填体。考虑的最可能诊断是
管道测绘放线使用的测量仪器应经检定合格且在有效期内,且符合()要求。
党的十五大报告指出:依法治国,就是广大人民群众在党的领导下,依照宪法和法律规定,通过各种途径和形式管理(),保证国家各项工作都依法进行。
教育机智
能调节唾液的量及渗透压的结构是()。
下列关于综合布线的描述中,正确的是()。
以下叙述中正确的是()。
Editorsofnewspapersandmagazinesoftengotoextremesto【C1】______theirreaderwithunimportantfactsandstatistics.Lastye
最新回复
(
0
)