首页
登录
职称英语
So firmly entrenched in the political economy has the minimum wage become tha
So firmly entrenched in the political economy has the minimum wage become tha
游客
2024-12-30
18
管理
问题
So firmly entrenched in the political economy has the minimum wage become that its latest increase to £5.35 ($10.08) an hour, caused little stir. Yet the introduction of a national pay floor in 1999 was one of New Labour’s most radical economic policies. Although minimum wage rates had previously covered a few industries, this was the first time that a general rate had been set.
During the 1997 election campaign the Conservatives said that the policy would destroy jobs. Some economists calculated that hundreds of thousands of people might be put out of work. These dire warnings proved way off the mark after the national minimum wage came into force seven years ago. The feared job losses did not materialise.
However, that benign acquisition had much to do with the cautious approach the government, advised by the Low Pay Commission, at first adopted. In April 1999 the main rate—for workers aged 22 or over— was set quite low, at £3.60 an hour. Eighteen months later, the rate edged up to £3.70. At this level it was worth only 36% of average hourly earnings for all employees. Furthermore, workers aged 18 to 21 had a separate, lower rate, which began at £3 in 1999 and was raised to £3.20 in October 2000.
The modest starting point for the minimum wage meant that it affected relatively few workers. The commission initially thought that it would raise the pay of around 2m workers but in practice only about a million gained. This limited any possible loss of jobs.
After the initial period of caution, however, the government got bolder. This month’s increase pushed the main rate up by 6% , comfortably ahead of average earnings which went up by 4.4% in the past year. Since 1999 the minimum wage has risen by 49% , outstripping average earnings which increased by 32% in the past seven years. As a result, it is now worth 41% of average hourly earnings.
This trajectory contrasts sharply with what has happened in America. The federal minimum wage has stayed at $5.15 since September 1997. At this level, it is worth 27% of average hourly wages for all employees other than those working in agriculture or for the federal government—far stingier than Britain’s rate.
The commission accepts that the period when the minimum wage rose faster than average earnings is over. The worry, however, is that it has already risen to a level that will hurt employment. The Confederation of British Industry said on September 24th that businesses in several parts of the economy, such as retailing, were struggling to cope with the minimum wage. A few days later the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) added that the latest increase would have "serious implications" for firms. David Kern, who advises the BCC, says: "There is now a distinct risk that the minimum wage will have an adverse effect on jobs. "
Whether employment will necessarily take a big knock is uncertain. Mainstream economic theory suggests that a minimum wage set too high will cost jobs. However, the evidence from other countries has been quite mixed. Some studies find no impact on employment whereas others find the jobs do indeed disappear, especially among young people.
In a recent appraisal of employment policies in the world’s developed economies, the OECD said that "a moderate minimum wage generally is not a problem". Britain’s experience in the first few years of the policy bears out that judgment. But more recent increases have pushed the rate up to a level where it may inflict damage. [br] The phrase "bears out" in the last paragraph can be interpreted as
选项
A、validates.
B、refutes.
C、derides.
D、suspects.
答案
A
解析
语义题。末段首句提到a moderate minimum wage generally is not a problem,之后出现本题所在句Britain’s experience in the first few years of the policy bears out that judgment,然后话锋一转,指出But more recent increases have pushed the rate up to a level where it may inflict damage,这里not a problem和inflict damage是对立观点,既然but前后表示的也是转折对比关系,这说明bears out that judgment是对前一个观点的认同,[A]“证实”符合语义关系,故为答案。[B]与之相反,排除;这里没有嘲讽、怀疑之意,[C]和[D]无依据。
转载请注明原文地址:http://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3890878.html
相关试题推荐
Lastyear’seconomyshouldhavewontheOscarforbestpicture.Growthingro
Lastyear’seconomyshouldhavewontheOscarforbestpicture.Growthingro
Ourshasbecomeasocietyofemployees.Ahundredyearsorsoagoonlyoneou
Ourshasbecomeasocietyofemployees.Ahundredyearsorsoagoonlyoneou
Duringthe1970’sand1980’spoliticalextremismandterrorismfrequentlyfoc
Duringthe1970’sand1980’spoliticalextremismandterrorismfrequentlyfoc
Duringthe1970’sand1980’spoliticalextremismandterrorismfrequentlyfoc
Duringthe1970’sand1980’spoliticalextremismandterrorismfrequentlyfoc
Duringthe1970’sand1980’spoliticalextremismandterrorismfrequentlyfoc
WhichwasoneofthemostfamouspoliticalpamphletswrittenbyJonathanSwift?A
随机试题
______thefactthattheareahadbeenhitbytheseverestdroughtintwentyyea
Alawyerfriendofminehasdevotedherselftotheserviceofhumanity.Her
针对评价细集料洁净程度的相关试验,回答下列问题;1).为评价机制砂洁净程度可以采
电压切换直流电源与对应保护控制电源取自同一段直流母线且共用直流空气开关。
燃气用量的预测与计算的主要任务是预测计算燃气的()。A.日用量和小时用量
同样是10万元进行投资理财,有人选择购买长期国债,有人选择外汇保证金交易,两种截
吩噻嗪类药物的基本结构为: 下列关于吩噻嗪类药物的叙述中错误的有 A
飞沫传播时飞沫的直径是A.>2μm B.>5μm C.>10μm D
根据公司法律制度的规定,有限责任公司对某些事项决议时投反对票的股东,可以请求公司
关于屋面涂膜防水施工的说法,正确的有( )。A.上下二层胎体增强材料应相互垂直铺
最新回复
(
0
)