經濟鴻溝擴大：全球危機中富人致富

樂施會的分析顯示，自2020年以來，富裕階層的股利支付大幅增加，而工人薪資卻停滯不前。全球有 31 個國家向富裕股東支付的股利超過了工人薪資，佔全球 GDP 的 81%。 2020年至2023年間，股息實際成長了45%，而薪資僅成長了3%。最富有的 1% 人從股票所有權中獲益匪淺，到 2023 年，他們平均能獲得 9,000 美元的股息，而普通工人需要 8 個月才能賺到這筆錢。

The Widening Economic Divide: A Global Crisis Fueled by the Enrichment of the Wealthy

日益擴大的經濟鴻溝：富人致富引發的全球危機

In the words of billionaire investor Warren Buffett, "There's class warfare, all right, but it's my class, the rich class, that's making war, and we're winning." This stark reality is brought into sharp focus by compelling new data released by Oxfam ahead of International Workers' Day.

用億萬富翁投資者沃倫·巴菲特的話來說，“確實存在階級鬥爭，但發動戰爭的是我的階級，即富裕階級，而我們正在獲勝。”樂施會在國際勞動節之前發布的引人注目的新數據使這一嚴峻的現實成為人們關注的焦點。

The analysis unveils a staggering trend: since 2020, the wealthy elite, the "rich class" as Buffett terms them, have amassed extraordinary gains, leaving workers in the dust. In 31 countries, home to 81% of the world's GDP, global dividend payments to affluent shareholders have soared at a blistering pace—14 times faster than worker compensation between 2020 and 2023.

分析揭示了一個驚人的趨勢：自2020年以來，富有的精英，即巴菲特所說的“富有階層”，積累了驚人的財富，將工薪階層遠遠甩在身後。在佔全球 GDP 81% 的 31 個國家中，向富裕股東支付的全球股息以驚人的速度飆升——2020 年至 2023 年間，其速度比工人薪酬快 14 倍。

Global corporate dividends are projected to shatter the previous record of $1.66 trillion set last year. Dividend payouts to wealthy shareholders have skyrocketed by 45% in real terms during the same period, while workers' wages have risen by a mere 3%. The wealthiest 1%, by virtue of their stock ownership alone, pocketed an average of $9,000 in dividends in 2023—an amount that the average worker would take eight months to earn through wages.

全球企業股息預計將打破去年創下的 1.66 兆美元的紀錄。同期，向富裕股東派發的股息以實際價值計算猛增了 45%，而工人的薪資僅上漲了 3%。 2023 年，僅憑股票所有權，最富有的 1% 人就平均獲得了 9,000 美元的股息——普通工人需要 8 個月才能透過薪資賺取這筆金額。

This widening gap is of profound significance because it fuels the inequality crisis that plagues our societies. As returns on capital outpace returns on labor, the gulf between the haves and have-nots will inevitably deepen. The core of our economic system revolves around a perpetual struggle between capital owners and workers. The true measure of progress lies in the equitable distribution of the fruits of labor, empowering workers and their families, or conversely, in the concentration of these benefits in the hands of capital owners, exacerbating inequality.

這種不斷擴大的差距具有深遠的意義，因為它助長了困擾我們社會的不平等危機。隨著資本回報率超過勞動回報率，貧富之間的差距將不可避免地加深。我們經濟體系的核心圍繞著資本所有者和工人之間的永恆鬥爭。進步的真正衡量標準在於勞動成果的公平分配，賦予工人及其家庭權力，或者相反，在於這些利益集中在資本所有者手中，從而加劇不平等。

For the majority of the world's population, the post-2020 era has been marked by immense hardship. The pandemic dealt a devastating blow, claiming millions of lives and plunging countless more into destitution. The subsequent surge in the cost of food and essential goods has created a relentless strain on households worldwide, forcing families to make difficult choices between purchasing necessities like fuel, bread, and flour. In Malawi, where I once lived, friends struggle daily to stay afloat. Here in the UK, millions rely on food banks to stave off hunger. On a global scale, poverty remains higher than pre-pandemic levels, and inequality between the developed world and the Global South has widened for the first time in three decades.

對世界上大多數人來說，2020年後的時代充滿了巨大的苦難。這場大流行造成了毀滅性的打擊，奪走了數百萬人的生命，並使無數人陷入貧困。隨後食品和必需品價格的飆升給世界各地的家庭帶來了巨大的壓力，迫使家庭在購買燃料、麵包和麵粉等必需品之間做出艱難的選擇。在我曾經居住過的馬拉維，朋友們每天都在為維持生計而奮鬥。在英國，數百萬人依賴食物銀行來緩解飢餓。在全球範圍內，貧窮率仍然高於大流行前的水平，已開發國家和南半球國家之間的不平等三十年來首次擴大。

In stark contrast to the plight of ordinary citizens, the wealthy elite have flourished in the years since 2020. Billionaires, numbering around 3,000 globally, are among the largest shareholders. A staggering seven out of ten of the world's largest corporations have a billionaire CEO or principal shareholder. Over the past decade, billionaire wealth has grown by an average of 7% annually. This growth rate has accelerated to 11.5% per year since 2020.

與一般公民的困境形成鮮明對比的是，自2020年以來，富有的精英階層蓬勃發展。全球最大的公司中有十分之七擁有億萬富翁執行長或主要股東。過去十年，億萬富翁的財富平均每年增長7%。自2020年以來，這一成長率每年加速至11.5%。

The term "shareholders" evokes a sense of democratic participation, but this notion is far removed from reality. In truth, the majority of shares and all other financial assets are concentrated in the hands of a privileged few. Research in 24 OECD countries reveals that the wealthiest 10% of households own a staggering 85% of total capital assets, including company shares, mutual funds, and businesses, while the bottom 40% possess a mere 4%. In the United States, the richest 1% controls 44.6% of financial assets, while the poorest 50% hold a minuscule 1%.

「股東」一詞喚起了一種民主參與的感覺，但這種概念與現實相去甚遠。事實上，大部分股票和所有其他金融資產都集中在少數特權人士手中。對 24 個 OECD 國家的研究表明，最富有的 10% 的家庭擁有令人震驚的 85% 的總資本資產，包括公司股票、共同基金和企業，而最富有的 40% 的家庭僅擁有 4%。在美國，最富有的 1% 人控制著 44.6% 的金融資產，而最貧窮的 50% 人只擁有微不足道的 1%。

Compounding this wealth concentration, the ownership of assets is dominated by men and white individuals. In the US, 89% of shares are owned by whites, 1.1% by Black people, and a mere 0.5% by Hispanics. Similarly, globally, only one in three businesses is owned by women. As a result, the burgeoning returns to shareholders primarily benefit the already affluent, further widening the economic divide.

使這種財富集中化更加複雜的是，資產的所有權由男性和白人主導。在美國，白人擁有 89% 的股份，黑人擁有 1.1%，西班牙裔僅擁有 0.5%。同樣，在全球範圍內，只有三分之一的企業由女性擁有。因此，股東回報的快速成長主要使本已富裕的人受益，進一步擴大了經濟鴻溝。

Addressing this inequality crisis requires multifaceted solutions. A robust approach would encompass significantly increasing taxes on the super-rich. Encouragingly, Brazil, which chairs the G20 this year, has placed tax reform on the agenda. Additionally, President Biden has reiterated his support for a new billionaire tax.

解決這場不平等危機需要多方面的解決方案。強有力的方法將包括大幅增加對超級富豪的稅收。令人鼓舞的是，今年擔任二十國集團主席國的巴西已將稅制改革提上議程。此外，拜登總統重申了他對新的億萬富翁稅的支持。

However, taxation serves as a remedy after the fact. The cornerstone of our efforts should be to prevent the economy from creating such vast disparities in the first place. Empowering workers is a crucial step in this direction. The fruits of labor should be enjoyed by those who toil, not by those who, as John Stuart Mill observed, "grow rich in their sleep without working, risking or economising." This can only be achieved through increased worker organization and the assertion of worker power. History has shown that high levels of worker power coincide with low inequality. As the International Monetary Fund has noted, declining union membership has directly contributed to the concentration of wealth at the top.

然而，稅收是事後的補救措施。我們努力的基石應該是首先防止經濟造成如此巨大的差距。賦予工人權力是朝這個方向邁出的關鍵一步。勞動成果應該由那些辛勤勞動的人享受，而不是那些像約翰·斯圖爾特·穆勒（John Stuart Mill）所說的那樣，「不勞而獲、不冒險、不節約，在睡夢中致富」的人。這只能透過加強工人組織和維護工人權力來實現。歷史表明，工人權力水平高與不平等程度低相一致。正如國際貨幣基金組織指出的那樣，工會會員數量的減少直接導致了財富向高層的集中。

Amid this backdrop, the resurgence of strikes and the growing voice and power of workers in recent years represent a beacon of hope. While still a fraction of what is required to tip the scales in favor of workers, a new generation is awakening to the transformative power of organizing. Generation Z displays the highest level of support for unions among living generations. From autoworkers in the US to garment workers in Bangladesh, workers are rising up against their employers, demanding a fairer, more equitable world.

在此背景下，近年來罷工的死灰復燃以及工人聲音和力量的增強代表著希望的燈塔。雖然也只是讓天平有利於工人所需的一小部分，但新一代正在覺醒組織的變革力量。 Z世代對工會的支持程度是當代世代中最高的。從美國的汽車工人到孟加拉的服裝工人，工人正在反抗他們的雇主，要求一個更公平、更平等的世界。

Workers worldwide must seize the reins of change and pull the levers of power back towards themselves. In doing so, they will shape the political and economic landscape towards a new era of equality.

世界各地的工人必須抓住改變的控制權，將權力槓桿拉回自己身邊。在此過程中，他們將塑造政治和經濟格局，邁向平等的新時代。