Shirtsleeve

2005年，美国白领工作者人数在缩水多年后有所上升，市场上对金融人才、工程师、律师、会计师和IT精英的需求量上涨。外电报道如下：After years of being downsized, the white-collar workforce is now on the rise. Companies are hiring engineers, lawyers, accountants, and computer whizzes. With a pickup in mergers and continued low interest rates, there is demand for finance specialists. And in an indication that this type of hiring is likely to continue, demand is growing for recruiters. Hiring the shirtsleeve crowd represents a shift in the economy toward higher-paying jobs and a more skilled workforce. It also indicates that some companies that squeezed their middle managements four years ago are starting to rebuild them. "It's a sign that companies … are not as worried that their fortunes will disappear at any moment," says John Challenger, an employment expert at the Chicago-based outplacement firm of Challenger, Gray & Christmas. "It means they are confident enough to take on more risks, more hiring of skilled people to grow their business." Shirtsleeve（shirt-sleeve）意为“只穿衬衣不穿外衣的”，指代终日呆在办公大厦里享受空调，无需穿外衣的白领工作者。此外，shirtsleeve的比喻义为“不拘形式的，非正式的，直率的，切合实际的”。例如：shirtsleeve spectators（衣着随便的观众）；a shirtsleeved orchestra.（一个衣着随便的交响乐团）；shirtsleeve politics（直来直去的政治）；a shirtsleeves conference（非正式会谈）等。 （中国日报网站编）