经济形势好转 澳公司圣诞支出大增

Many Australians will really have a merry Christmas as more companies forget the financial crisis this holiday season and splash out on year-end parties, according to a business forecast.

After falling sharply in 2008, corporate spending is expected to be on the up this Christmas, with business information analysts IBISWorld forecasting companies will spend over A$560 million ($513.3 million) on events -- an increase of 76 percent from last year.

The number of companies throwing Christmas parties is expected to increase to 92 percent this year, compared to just 67 percent in 2008, and the average spent per employee is set to rise from $75 to $105.

"As we look to 2010, many Australian companies are finding themselves in a much better position than projected," IBISWorld General Manager Robert Bryant said in a statement.

"And while 2008-09 saw corporate Australia slash costs, thus raising capital and expanding profitability, the looming upturn in the job market and need to retain skilled employees will see companies spend up on end-of-2009 events."

In 2008, the global financial crisis drove businesses all over the world to slash spending or cancel Christmas parties altogether.

今年很多澳大利亚人确实可以过一个开心的圣诞节了。一项经济预测报告显示，在圣诞来临之际，澳大利亚很多公司将金融危机抛之脑后，准备大花一笔办年终派对。

2008年很多公司大幅削减开支，但今年的圣诞支出有望攀升。据IBISWorld经济信息分析公司预测，今年澳大利亚公司的圣诞支出将超过5.6亿澳元（5.133亿美元），比去年同期增长76%。

据预测，今年预计有92%的公司将举办圣诞派对，而这一比例在2008年仅有67%。员工人均消费将从75澳元增至105澳元。

IBISWorld公司的总经理罗伯特．布莱恩特在一份声明中说：“展望2010年，澳大利亚很多公司发现经济状况要好于预期。”

“尽管在2008年至2009年间，澳大利亚公司纷纷削减开支，以筹集资金并提高收益，但由于就业市场隐现复苏迹象以及需要留住有经验的员工，各公司打算在年终派对上大花一笔。”

在2008年，受全球经济危机的影响，世界各地的企业纷纷削减圣诞开支，或干脆连圣诞派对也一并取消了。

Vocabulary:

splash out：挥霍，随意花钱

year-end：年终的

throw：to give or host（举行聚会）