AFTER years of fat profits and bonuses, cost-cutting is once again at the top of the corporate agenda. For companies wanting to chop out middle-management dead wood or sack factory workers, costs can vary enormously across the world. America, New Zealand and Tonga are among the most company-friendly countries, requiring no penalties or compensation to fire a full-time employee of 20 years. By contrast, a business in Zimbabwe must shell out well over eight years' worth of pay to sack a worker. But companies in Venezuela and Bolivia are even more tied—workers there cannot be fired at all.

在经历了多年的巨额利润和红利后，削减成本再一次成为了各大公司议事日程中的头等大事。对于那些忽然发现中层管理无所作为或是想要解雇工厂工人的公 司来说，各个国家的解雇成本相差极大。对公司最友好的国家包括美国、新西兰和汤加等，在这些国家，如果你要解雇一位工作了20年的全职员工，公司不需要支 付赔偿金。相反，津巴布韦的企业想要解雇一名员工就需要向被解雇的员工支付其8年多的收入。而在委内瑞拉和玻利维亚，公司根本就不能解雇自己的员工。