The snag is that unprofitable companies, which should have been squeezed out by competition, have remained alive because it is so hard to fire workers.

问题在于，那些本应被竞争挤出市场的无利可图的公司，却因为裁员如此之难而存活了下来。

youdao

To fire workers and shut the factory?

炒掉工人，然后关掉工厂？

youdao

As the clothing materials feed the fire workers tried to escape anyway they could.

由于布料加剧了火势，工人们尝试着以各种可能的方式逃命。

youdao

Unions have called for a nationwide strike in September, against plans to make it easier for companies to hire and fire workers.

VOA: standard.2010.06.24

Tessionniere claims that since it could not fire many workers, France Telecom created miserable working conditions to force them to leave.

VOA: standard.2010.04.11

President Obama will speak after returning from his fourth trip to the Gulf region since the April 20 explosion and fire, which killed 11 workers and ruptured a deep-sea oil well.

VOA: standard.2010.06.15

But Mr Solbes has said that making it cheaper to fire workers is not a priority.

ECONOMIST: Spain

Acts passed in 1996 and 1997 make it cumbersome and costly to fire workers.

ECONOMIST: South Africa

She says many employers have Internet policies and can easily fire workers for violating them.

NPR: Is Web-Surfing a Job Hazard?