中国网站品牌栏目（频道）
荷兰北部的弗里斯兰省最近出台了一项政策，靠政府福利金生活的无业单身女性将享受到价值1400欧元的美容和婚介服务，还会有专业人士向她们传授社交技巧，希望能帮助她们找到有一定经济实力的另一半，并由此减少政府福利开支。出台这一政策的机构认为，爱情可以帮助失业者重拾自信，获得前进的动力。为该政策提供婚介服务的负责人表示，政府统计数据表明，有伴侣的人往往更健康、更快乐、挣的钱更多，而且寿命更长，他们对社会医疗和福利体制的依赖性也相对校小；所以才会提出这一政策帮助她们找到伴侣并离开社会福利系统。对此，当地部分政界人士提出批评，称这种做法不道德，是在浪费纳税人的钱。
 |
|
Unemployed Dutch women are being offered a €1,400 (£1,150) fashion and beauty makeover and free membership of a dating agency to get them off the dole by finding a solvent husband. |
Unemployed Dutch women are being offered a €1,400 (£1,150) fashion and beauty makeover and free membership of a dating agency to get them off the dole by finding a solvent husband. Single jobseekers will be given a new hairstyle and outfit, and tips from a life coach on how to attract a new partner or a job.
They will also be given instruction in social and presentation skills and a place on the exclusive matchmaking service Mens & Relatie (People and Relationships), boosted by a professional photograph of their new image. Mens & Relatie claims a 75 percent success rate in finding long-term partners for its clients.
The thinking behind the scheme, organised by three councils in Friesland, in the north of the Netherlands, is that finding love helps to get the unemployed off state benefits by improving confidence, ambition and motivation. Some local politicians, however, have criticised it as unethical and a waste of taxpayers’ money.
“This is a total concept of trying to get people out of social security,” said Radboud Visser, the managing director of Mens & Relatie, which was hired by the three municipalities to find employed new partners for unemployed lonely hearts. “We know from national statistics that people in a relationship have better health, more happiness, make more money and live longer lives. They make less use of medical systems and social security. So in Friesland they thought, we can try to get people out of social security by bringing them to a nice new husband.”
Mr Visser said that the first candidate for the scheme had already enrolled. It is available to men and women, but he said he expected most of his clients to be female. “Social security costs €650 a month and Friesland pays us around €650 once — so when they are able to get someone out of social security, they have made their money back after just one month,” he said.
More than 600 unemployed people are eligible for the scheme in the three councils. However, after publicity, some of it adverse, in the Dutch media, the scheme has been put on hold in one of the councils and put under review in the second, with a spokesman saying they were “reconsidering their plans”.
Mr Visser has no doubts that the State and the unemployed will benefit. “If you go for a job interview or on an interview for a new partner, it is almost the same thing. You must be sure you look good, you take care of your body and your face and you say the right things.
“I am sure that people who have done this will be on social security for less time because they will find a job and a partner.”
相关阅读
(Agencies)
（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
