口译时事：中国公司应对用工荒

　　Outside a factory in Dongguan, a city in China’s manufacturing heartlands, school buses drop off children whose parents work at the Maisto toy factory, which manufactures Bburago collectable cars and radio-controlled vehicles.
　　在中国制造业重镇——东莞市的一家工厂外，校车放下了一群孩子。这些孩子的父母就在这家美驰图(Maisto)玩具厂工作，生产比美高(Bburago)车模收藏品和遥控玩具车。

　　About 120 children live in dormitories on the factory site. About 40 per cent of Maisto’s 3,000 workers live with partners and children and some of the dormitories, designed for young single workers, are being revamped to make them more suitable for families.
　　住在厂区宿舍的孩子大约有120个。在美驰图的3000名员工中，约有40%与配偶和子女生活在一起，部分原本为年轻单身员工设计的宿舍正在翻修，以适合家庭居住。

　　If the toy factory is to retain workers in China’s new era of persistent labour shortages, then this kind of investment is necessary, says manager Michael Liu.
　　工厂经理Michael Liu表示，中国已进入劳动力持续紧缺的新阶段，玩具厂想留住工人，这种投资就是必要的。

　　China’s working age population, defined as being those aged between 15 and 59, fell by 3.5m last year to 937m, a result of the one-child policy of the past three decades.
　　由于过去30年实行的独生子女政策，中国劳动年龄人口（年龄为15岁到59岁之间）去年减少350万，降至9.37亿。

　　As the number of available workers falls, factories struggle not only to find new hires but also to retain existing staff. A young and educated workforce demands more from employers. In this context, working conditions matter as much as salary.
　　随着可聘用的工人人数的减少，各工厂不仅需要努力招到新人，还需要努力留住现有员工。受过教育的年轻工人对于雇主的要求越来越多。在这种背景下，工作条件变的和薪水同样重要。

　　“We want to give them a sense of belonging and the feeling of being respected,” says Mr Liu, referring to the company’s efforts that range from better housing for employees to soliciting suggestions from them in the factory.
　　Liu表示：“我们希望令他们体会到归属感，以及得到尊重的感觉。”他提到公司为留住员工作出的种种努力，包括提供更好的居住条件，以及更多倾听员工的建议。

　　The past few weeks have made clear how severe the hiring crisis is. The weeks after the lunar new year holidays, which ended in late February this year, are typically peak recruiting season for Chinese workers.
　　用工危机在过去几周表露无遗。今年的春节假期已于2月底结束，而通常春节假期之后的几周是中国招工高峰季节。

　　But it has been difficult for many smaller employers in Dongguan, a string of satellite cities where factories predominate rather than housing or office towers. Some are struggling to recruit as many as half of the new workers they need, says Willy Lin, who owns a sweater factory in Dongguan.
　　然而在东莞，许多小雇主却遇到了困难。东莞一家毛衣厂的厂主Willy Lin表示，有的工厂连所需新员工的一半都很难招到。东莞包括一系列卫星城市，这里工厂林立，住房或写字楼则不多。

　　In this environment the minimum wage – set to rise to Rmb1,310 ($211) in May in Dongguan – means little. Already many employers pay much more than the statutory requirement.
　　于是，东莞将于5月将最低工资上调至每月1310元人民币（合211美元）的决定，已经没什么意义，因为许多雇主支付的工资早已大大高于法律的最低要求。

　　“Workers don’t care what the minimum wage is. They expect to be compensated at the market rate,” says Mr Lin. “Given the massive shortages [of labour] we are facing, I am not sure any method will work any more.”
　　Lin表示：“员工们并不关心最低工资是多少。他们希望薪酬达到市面水平。考虑到我们十分缺人，我不太确定还有什么办法能奏效。”

　　David Liu, who owns a handbag manufacturer in Dongguan, offers up to Rmb2,000 per month for new employees and Rmb3,000 for those with a year of experience. So far, he has only managed to hire 40 per cent of the workers he needs.
　　东莞一家手袋生产商David Liu为新员工开出了最高每月2000元人民币的报酬，而对于有一年经验的员工，报酬达到了每月3000元人民币。然而到目前为止，他仅招到了所需员工数目的40%。

　　Workers’ confidence that they can get a new job means that many take longer breaks over the lunar new year.
　　由于工人们有信心能够找到新工作，许多人决定在春节期间休息更长时间。

　　“Nowadays, workers think differently,” Mr Liu says. “They want a one- to two-month break before looking for a new job after the new year.”
　　Liu表示：“如今工人们的想法不同了。新年之后他们希望休息一两个月再找工作。”

　　The Guangdong government on Monday said the province had a shortage of half a million workers after the lunar new year.
　　广东省政府周一表示，该省春节后用工缺口达50万人。

　　Such is the shortage of staff that when Jane Cheng attended a wedding at a three-star hotel recently, the security guards doubled as waiters. A new generation of better educated workers demands respect, says Ms Cheng, the human resources manager at TTI, which makes lawnmowers and power tools. It employs 9,000 people in Dongguan.
　　TTI是一家生产除草机和电动工具的公司，在东莞雇有9000名员工。公司人力资源部经理Jane Cheng表示，新一代工人受过更好的教育，要求得到尊重。员工是如此紧缺，以至于Cheng女士最近在一家三星级酒店参加婚礼时，发现那里的保安人数是服务生的两倍。

　　It is not unusual now for workers to turn down jobs they see as being too taxing.
　　工人们拒绝他们认为太过劳累的工作，也已屡见不鲜。

　　“We have had applicants who say, ‘You require workers to stand and work all day. I need a place to work where I can sit,’??” she says with a laugh.
　　Cheng笑着说：“我们遇到过求职者说：‘你们要求工人们成天站着工作，我要找的是能坐着工作的地方。’”

　　A better educated workforce may be more demanding but their education could also foster greater productivity. Arthur Kroeber, who heads research firm Gavekal Dragonomics in Beijing, says China is better placed than its competitors, such as India, to raise the productivity of its workers because they are far better educated.
　　受教育程度更高的工人要求可能更高，但他们的教育背景也会促进生产率的提高。北京研究机构龙洲经讯(Gavekal Dragonomics)的主管葛艺豪(Arthur Kroeber)表示，比起包括印度在内的竞争对手，中国在提高工人生产率方面更有优势，因为中国工人的受教育程度要高得多。

　　Retaining workers is a step towards better productivity, especially in Dongguan where as many as 10 per cent of workers quit their jobs every month
　　要提高生产率，首先要能留住工人，特别是在东莞这个工人流动性很大的地方。在东莞，每月有10%的工人离职。

　　So far, Maisto’s strategy has helped it retain and recruit staff, Mr Liu says. This year, it recruited as many as 50 workers a day after the new year hiring period. This compares with just 10 a day last year.
　　美驰图的Liu表示，公司采取的措施对招募和留住员工产生了帮助。今年，该公司在春节之后每天招募的员工数多达50名，而去年每天只能招到10人。

　　And Maisto’s plans do not stop with dormitories. The company plans to introduce a pension system for workers who stay with the company into their thirties and forties. The family dormitories have prompted workers to recommend the factory to jobseekers. In today’s Dongguan, employers need all the good references they can get.
　　而美驰图的计划并不止步于员工宿舍。该公司计划为在公司一直工作到三、四十岁的员工引入养老金制度。一些住上了“家庭宿舍”的员工将美驰图推荐给了其他找工者。在如今的东莞，任何好口碑都是雇主们求之不得的。