日本失業(yè)率降至24年最低水平

Unemployment in Japan has fallen to its lowest level in 24 years as robust economic growth leads to a deepening shortage of labour.

由于經(jīng)濟強勁增長導致勞動力短缺加劇，日本失業(yè)率已降至24年來最低水平。

The unemployment rate dropped 0.1 percentage points in November to 2.7 per cent, the lowest figure since December 1994 when Japan was descending into what had become known as its “lost decade”.

今年11月，日本失業(yè)率下降0.1個百分點至2.7%，為1994年12月以來的最低水平。1994年12月，日本開始落入眾所周知的“失去的十年”。

The continued drop in the unemployment rate, five years after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe began an economic stimulus, highlights the durability of the economic expansion under way in Japan.

失業(yè)率持續(xù)下降——發(fā)生在日本首相安倍晉三(Shinzo Abe)啟動經(jīng)濟刺激的5年之后——凸顯了日本進入經(jīng)濟擴張的延續(xù)時間之久。

“The current economic recovery is . . . characterised by its long duration,” said Haruhiko Kuroda, governor of the Bank of Japan, in a year-end speech. “The duration of the current recovery phase, which started in December 2012, likely reached 60 consecutive months in November 2017.”

“當前經(jīng)濟復蘇……的特點是持續(xù)時間長，”日本央行(BoJ)行長黑田東彥(Haruhiko Kuroda)在年底的一次講話中說，“當前復蘇階段開始于2012年12月的的持續(xù)時間，到2017年11月可能是連續(xù)第60個月了。”

The ratio of open jobs to applicants, regarded as a more sensitive indicator of the labour market than unemployment, rose from 1.55 to 1.56. That is the highest since January 1974, during Japan’s era of rapid economic growth.

空缺崗位與求職人數(shù)之比——被認為在衡量勞動力市場方面比失業(yè)率更為敏感的一項指標——從1.55上升至1.56。這是自1974年1月以來的最高值，當時日本正處于經(jīng)濟高速增長時期。

Prompted by monetary stimulus from Mr Kuroda and fiscal stimulus from Mr Abe, demand has grown steadily in Japan. On the other hand, the working age population is in decline. The result is widening shortages of workers.

在黑田東彥的貨幣刺激和安倍晉三的財政刺激的推動下，日本的需求已穩(wěn)步升高。另一方面，勞動適齡人口數(shù)量正在降低。結果是，勞動力缺口越來越大。

However, labour shortages have been slow to generate inflation. “It cannot be denied that, relative to the strength of the economy and degree of labour market tightening, the pace of increase in wages is more sluggish than in past recovery phases,” Mr Kuroda said.

然而，勞動力短缺遲遲沒有帶來通脹。“無可否認的是，相對于經(jīng)濟的強勁程度和勞動力市場的緊張程度，工資上漲的速度比以往的復蘇階段更慢，”黑田東彥說。

The consumer price index was up 0.6 per cent in November compared with a year ago. Excluding volatile fresh food and energy prices, the increase was just 0.3 per cent, compared with the BoJ target of 2 per cent.

11月份日本消費物價指數(shù)(CPI)同比上漲0.6%。剔除波動較大的新鮮食物和能源價格之后，漲幅僅為0.3%，而日本央行定下的通脹目標為2%。

Mr Kuroda said the experience of deflation had made businesses reluctant to increase prices and workers hesitant to demand higher wages. But he argued that this would change as the economy becomes stronger.

黑田東彥表示，通縮經(jīng)歷導致企業(yè)不愿提高產(chǎn)品價格，工人不愿要求加薪。但他辯稱，隨著經(jīng)濟變得更強勁，這種局面將發(fā)生改變。

Minutes of the BoJ’s October meeting, published on Tuesday, suggested the central bank would maintain its stimulus to support a shift towards higher inflation.

周二公布的日本央行10月會議紀要暗示，該行將繼續(xù)執(zhí)行其刺激政策，以支持經(jīng)濟轉向更高的通脹水平。