經濟危機 美國公務員成搶手職位

As the economic downturn forces corporations and small businesses to shed jobs, one large employer still has the 'help wanted' sign out: the U.S. government.

Experts say the federal government's civilian workforce of 2.8 million is likely to expand significantly over the next several years as it gears up to stimulate the economy, rescue troubled banks, overhaul health care and pursue other elements of President Barack Obama's agenda.

With the economy in turmoil, the stability of a government career now holds greater appeal.

And it doesn't hurt that the new boss, President Barack Obama, has encouraged citizens to consider public service -- a marked contrast to predecessor George W. Bush, who disparaged government.

"It's the same thing that happened 40-some-odd years ago when Kennedy came in," said Ross Harris, whose Federal Research Service helps applicants find government jobs.

Harris said he has seen the number of unique visitors to his website double over the past year as the recession has taken hold.

Government hiring has increased steadily over the past four years, from 79,000 in fiscal year 2004 to 99,000 in fiscal 2007, according to the Office of Personnel Management.

The conservative Heritage Foundation estimates that the $787 billion economic stimulus package signed into law last month could create at least 100,000 more government jobs next year and 120,000 by 2012.

More jobs are likely to be found in Obama's $3.5 trillion budget, which envisions a greater government role in financial regulation, student loans, environmental regulation and care for war veterans.

當經濟衰退迫使大小企業紛紛裁員之時，有一個“大僱主”仍然在招聘人員，那就是美國政府。

專家稱，隨着美國刺激經濟、救援銀行、改革醫療體系和奧巴馬總統提出的其他政策措施的推進，未來幾年美國聯邦政府公務員隊伍可能將在現有280萬人的基礎上大幅擴充。

在目前的經濟動盪時期，相對穩定的政府職位顯得更具吸引力。

此外，新任總統奧巴馬鼓勵國民投身公共服務，這與前任總統小布什不鼓勵的態度形成鮮明對比。

爲人們申請政府工作提供幫助的“聯邦研究服務”的羅斯•哈里斯說：“這與40多年前肯尼迪上任時的情況差不多。”

哈里斯說，隨着經濟危機的加深，過去一年中其網站的訪問者數量翻了一番。

據美國人事管理處介紹，政府招聘人數在過去四年中穩定增加，從2004財政年度的7.9萬人增加至2007年度的9.9萬人。

據美國傳統基金會估計，於上月簽署的7870億美元的經濟刺激方案有望於明年創造至少10萬個政府職位，到2010年有望達到12萬個。

此外，奧巴馬3.5萬億美元的預算案也將催生更多的就業機會，按照該預算，政府將在金融監管、學生貸款、環境監控和老兵福利方面發揮更大的作用。

Vocabulary:

take hold:紮根