中国网站品牌栏目（频道）
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 Back to work: Germany are encouraging mothers to head back to the office. |
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The EU wants Europe's biggest economy to avoid looming labour shortages in future by dismantling barriers to women entering the workforce. 'Germany must better integrate women into the labour market," said the EU Commission, in a report on the German economy. 'Germany, but also Austria and the Netherlands, should look at the example of the northern countries,” said President José Manuel Barroso, in a reference to Scandinavia. 'That means removing obstacles for women, older workers, foreigners and low-skilled job-seekers to get into the workforce. Excessive early retirement regulations need to be abolished.' The Commission recommends that Germany take steps such as creating more child care places and reducing income tax for dual earners. Taxing couples separately instead of as a pair could encourage more part-time, second-income earners to take up full-time work. Just 2.2 percent of leadership positions at Germany's top 100 companies are held by women, according to a survey by the German Institute for Economic Research. But the conservative led coalition government of Chancellor Angela Merkel baulked earlier this year at legislation to even things up. The EU's concerns about Germany come even though the country has embarked on a back-to-works scheme for women that the media has dubbed 'Operation Mama.' To sustain both the economy and Germany's lavish welfare state, an action plan to call in mothers who have not worked before is on the table - along with plans to subsidise IVF treatment for childless couples. Engineering, nursing, IT specialists, care-workers and semi-skilled workers are among those most needed according to a white paper prepared for Chancellor Merkel by eight ministries last month. By turning inwards for help from its own population, Germany is effectively sending a signal to workers from eastern EU countries - allowed to work in Germany since 1 May this year after a German restrictions were lifted - that it would rather give jobs to Germans. 'Operation Mama,' as it has become known, is aimed first at close to 500,000 mothers with children aged between six and 16. Studies show they are eager to become workers if some practical child-care programme were in place. (Read by Nelly Min. Nelly Min is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies) |
为避免在不久的未来出现劳动力短缺，欧盟希望欧洲经济大国排除女性就业障碍，让女性加入劳动大军。 欧盟委员会在一份针对德国经济的报告中说：“德国应该更好地让女性融入劳动力市场。” 欧盟主席若泽•曼努埃尔•巴罗佐提到北欧时说：“德国、奥地利还有荷兰应该以北欧国家为典范。” “也就是要排除女性、老年工作者、外国人和低技能求职者的就业障碍。过早退休的规定需要被废除。” 欧盟委员会建议德国采取措施，建造更多的托儿所，降低双职工家庭的收入所得税。 对夫妇单独而不是一起征税可以鼓励更多兼职或第二收入工作者去做全职工作。 根据德国经济研究所的一项调查，德国100强公司中只有2.2%的领导职位是由女性担任的。不过，保守党派安格拉•默克尔总理领导的联合政府今年早些时候通过立法进行干预，让这一失衡状况有所改观。 尽管德国已经启动了女性回归工作的方案，但是欧盟对德国还是有所担忧。媒体将该方案戏称为“妈妈行动”。 为了维持经济发展和德国慷慨的福利制度，一项旨在召集不工作的妈妈们的计划即将被提上议程，同时要提交讨论的还有为不能生育的夫妇提供体外受精治疗补助的计划。 上个月德国八个政府部门为默克尔总理准备的白皮书显示，现在最紧缺的劳动力有工程师、护士、IT专家、护工和半熟练工人。 德国通过求助于国内的人力，向东欧成员国的工人发出了有效的信号：德国更愿意雇佣本国劳动力。从今年5月1日起，在德国的一个限制令被撤销后，将允许东欧成员国的工人在德国工作。 “妈妈行动”的首要对象是子女年龄在6岁到16岁之间的妈妈们，这一人群约有50万。研究显示，如果育儿计划落实到位的话，这些妈妈们很愿意出来工作。 相关阅读 （中国日报网英语点津 陈丹妮 编辑：冯明惠） |
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Vocabulary: looming: (of an event regarded as ominous or threatening) seemingly about to happen（似乎即将发生的） dismantle: to end an organization or system gradually in an organized way （逐渐）废除，取消 dual earners: 双薪家庭，双职工家庭。 baulk: to prevent somebody from getting something or doing something（阻止；阻碍） even something up: 使拉平；使相等；使平衡 embark on something: 从事，着手，开始（新的或艰难的事情） lavish: giving or doing something generously（慷慨的；大方的） on the table: (of a plan, suggestion, etc.) offered to people so that they can consider or discuss it（将计划、建议等）提供考虑；提交讨论 IVF: the abbreviation for 'in vitro fertilization' (a process which fertilizes an egg from a woman outside her body. The egg is then put inside her uterus to develop.) 体外受精（全写为 in vitro fertilization，使卵子在母体外受精后再放回子宫内发育） white paper: 白皮书 in place: in the correct position; ready for something（在正确位置；准备妥当） |
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