Report provides a comprehensive look at foreign language demand in
the U.S. economy, emphasizing importance of non-English language skills
ALEXANDRIA, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) today
announced the findings of its survey that calls attention to the serious
foreign language skills gap in the U.S. workforce. The report, “Making
Languages Our Business: Addressing Foreign Language Demand Among U.S.
Employers,” shows the critical demand in the U.S. economy for
multilingual employees, providing the most comprehensive look at the
value of foreign language to date.
The demand for language skills in the U.S. workforce is greater than
ever before. In boardrooms and in the field, with customers and partners
and on social media, U.S. employers today are increasingly conducting
business in a language other than English. Accordingly, the ability to
effectively communicate in more than one language is a critical asset
for U.S. students and employees—not only in boosting their marketability
in the workplace, but in helping them thrive in a global economy.
This groundbreaking industry report, based on a survey conducted by
Ipsos Public Affairs for ACTFL as part of its Lead with Languages
campaign, and with support from Pearson
LLC and Language
Testing International, includes new data emphasizing the vital need
for language skills in the U.S. workplace and their impact on the U.S.
economy.
“There is no denying the dominant position STEM subjects have enjoyed in
today’s curriculum. Foreign language, unfortunately, is often treated as
a competing discipline. Our survey findings highlight the need for world
language skills to be recognized as a complementary and interdependent
capability. We already know that language learning deepens our
connections to other cultures, boosts confidence, strengthens
decision-making, and contributes greatly to national security; we also
know language skills are necessary to produce the globally-competent
employees U.S. businesses are seeking,” said Howie Berman, ACTFL’s
Executive Director. “This reality requires an education system that
prepares graduates to be proficient in the languages they need to
successfully compete in a 21st century global economy.”
According to the report, a vast majority of U.S. employers say they rely
on employees with language skills other than English to advance their
business goals. Those unable to fill this need may find themselves
falling behind in the global market.
Key findings of the report include:
U.S. employers have a growing demand for multilingual employees.
-
Nine out of 10 U.S. employers report a reliance on U.S.-based
employees with language skills other than English. -
One-third (32%) of employers report a high dependency on language
skills other than English. -
A majority of employers report that their need for foreign languages
has increased over the past five years and project that it will
continue to grow.
High-demand languages also have the greatest shortages.
-
Spanish, Chinese and Japanese see the highest demand among U.S.
employers. Additionally, employers are most likely to report shortages
in these languages. -
A third (34%) of U.S. employers reliant on foreign languages say their
foreign language needs are not currently being met by their employees.
Foreign language skills impact employers’ bottom line.
-
Nearly one in four U.S. employers surveyed acknowledged losing or
being unable to pursue a business opportunity over the singular lack
of foreign language skills.
The report also proposes seven concrete recommendations U.S. employers
can implement to better recruit and sustain a multilingual workforce, as
well as understand the implications of early language instruction on
creating a more robust pipeline of future workers with language skills.
“We are pleased to support the work that ACTFL is doing to quantify the
demand for multilingual employees in the United States and raise
awareness of the importance of foreign language education,” said Andrew
Gilfillan, Pearson’s Vice President of Product Management for the
Humanities, Social Sciences, World Languages, and Business. “At Pearson,
it is our mission to be a true partner in language learning for
instructors and students by creating proficiency-oriented educational
solutions for the 21st century classroom. Students are increasingly
focused on how their studies relate to employability, and the results of
this survey unequivocally demonstrate the value of language education to
the U.S. economy.”
ACTFL’s report details the findings of a national survey among 1,200
upper-level managers and human resources professionals with knowledge of
their organization’s foreign language needs. Public
administration and government employers were excluded from this survey
as were employers with fewer than 10 employees.
To learn more and to download the report, visit https://www.leadwithlanguages.org/report.
About ACTFL
The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) is the
national association for language education professionals from all
levels of instruction and representing all languages. With more than
12,500 active members, ACTFL provides innovative professional
development opportunities, acclaimed training and certification
programs, and widely cited books, publications, scholarly journals,
research studies and language education resources, including Foreign
Language Annals and The Language Educator magazine.
As part of its mission and vision, the organization provides guidance to
the profession and to the general public regarding issues, policies, and
best practices related to the teaching and learning of languages and
cultures. ACTFL is a leading national voice among language educators and
administrators and is guided by a responsibility to set standards and
expectations that will result in high quality language programs.
Contacts
Mike Atkinson
Sage Communications
703-891-5686
