英國最低生活工資本週啓動 Economics lab British experiment with higher minimum wage goes live

Britain is about to embark on a bold experiment that will push up its minimum wage to one of the higher rates among developed economies.

英國即將啓動一項大膽實驗，將其最低工資推高至發達經濟體中的較高標準。

At least 1.8m people will receive a pay rise on Friday thanks to the national living wage — a new minimum rate for workers aged 25 and over.

至少180萬人將在本週五獲得加薪，得益於面向25歲及以上勞動者的最低工資新標準——“全國最低生活工資”(national living wage)。

It will start at ￡7.20 an hour and increase to 60 per cent of median earnings, or about ￡9 an hour by 2020. That is similar to levels in Australia and France, countries with relatively high minimum wages. It means the value of the minimum wage for the over-25s, relative to median pay, is set to rise by as much in the five years to 2020 as it did in the previous 16.

它將從每小時7.20英鎊起步，到2020年提高至收入中值的60%，相當於每小時約9英鎊。那將與澳大利亞和法國的水平相仿，這兩個國家的最低工資標準相對較高。這將意味着，對於25歲以上的勞動者，最低工資值相對於收入中值在截至2020年的5年間的漲幅，將與之前16年的漲幅相同。

Finance minister George Osborne believes he can use the measure to raise pay for millions without damaging the jobs boom of the past five years.

財政大臣喬治•奧斯本(George Osborne)相信，他可以藉助此舉爲數以百萬計的人們提高工資，而不致損害過去5年的就業繁榮。

Britain’s labour market, with a jobless rate at 5.1 per cent of the workforce, has outperformed most of the rest of Europe since the financial crisis. The employment rate is at a record high.

目前失業率僅爲勞動力總人數5.1%的英國勞動力市場，自金融危機以來表現好於歐洲多數其他國家。就業率處於創紀錄高位。

In some big European eco-nomies the jobless rate stands above 10 per cent, while growth has also lagged behind the UK.

歐洲某些大型經濟體的失業率在10%以上，而經濟增長也滯後於英國。

Mr Osborne’s plan has worried some Conservative government supporters and divided experts.

奧斯本的計劃使保守黨政府的一些支持者感到不安，並在專家中引發不同意見。

Carl Emmerson and Jonat-han Cribb, economists at the UK’s influential Institute for Fiscal Studies, said the policy would benefit many low-paid people. But they predicted some workers would have their hours cut or lose their jobs, while the unemployed would “find it harder to get a job”.

英國頗具影響力的財政研究所(Institute for Fiscal Studies)的經濟學家卡爾•埃默森(Carl Emmerson)和喬納森•克里布(Jonathan Cribb)表示，該政策將使許多低收入人士受益。但他們預計，一些勞動者將面臨工時被削減，甚至失去工作，而失業者將“發現更難找到工作”。

“It is clearly a risk. The government should monitor its effects closely and if necessary revisit the policy,” they said.

“這顯然是一個風險。政府應密切監測其影響，並在必要時修改這項政策，”他們表示。