2011 年 GMAT 考试阅读材料 5（附答案）Howmanyreallysufferasaresultoflabormarketproblems?Thisisoneofthemostcriticalyetcontentioussocialpolicyquestions.Inmanyways,oursocialstatisticsexaggeratethedegreeofhardship.Unemploymentdoesnothavethesamedireconsequencestodayasitdidinthe1930'swhenmostoftheunemployedwereprimarybreadwinners,whenincomeandearningswereusuallymuchclosertothemarginofsubsistence,andwhentherewerenocountervailingsocialprogramsforthosefailinginthelabormarket.Increasingaffluence,theriseoffamilieswithmorethanonewageearner,thegrowingpredominanceofsecondaryearnersamongtheunemployed,andimprovedsocialwelfareprotectionhaveunquestionablymitigatedtheconsequencesofjoblessness.Earningsandincomedataalsooverstatethedimensionsofhardship.Amongthemillionswithhourlyearningsatorbelowtheminimumwagelevel,theoverwhelmingmajorityarefrommultiple-earner,relativelyaffluentfamilies.Mostofthosecountedbythepovertystatisticsareelderlyorhandicappedorhavefamilyresponsibilitieswhichkeepthemoutofthelaborforce,sothepovertystatisticsarebynomeansanaccurateindicatoroflabormarketpathologies.Yettherearealsomanywaysoursocialstatisticsunderestimatethedegreeoflabor-market-relatedhardship.Theunemploymentcountsexcludethemillionsoffullyemployedworkerswhosewagesaresolowthattheirfamiliesremaininpoverty.Lowwagesandrepeatedorprolongedunemploymentfrequentlyinteracttounderminethecapacityforself-support.Sincethenumberexperiencingjoblessnessatsometimeduringtheyearisseveraltimesthenumberunemployedinanymonth,thosewhosufferasaresultofforcedidlenesscanequalorexceedaverageannualunemployment,eventhoughonlyaminorityofthejoblessinanymonthreallysuffer.Foreverypersoncountedinthemonthlyunemploymenttallies,thereisanotherworkingpart-timebecauseoftheinabilitytofindfull-timework,orelseoutsidethelaborforcebutwantingajob.Finally,incometransfersinourcountryhavealwaysfocusedontheelderly,disabled,anddependent,neglectingtheneedsoftheworkingpoor,sothatthedramaticexpansionofcashandin-kindtransfersdoesnotnecessarilymeanthatthos...
