Lack of ability to speak foreign languages is costing us!

Applications to European University language degrees are down by

Does learning a language improve employability?

"If I'm selling to you, I speak your language. If I'm buying, dann müssen Sie Deutsch sprechen." Willy Brandt, former German Chancellor

of employers are not satisfied with the foreign language skills of graduates

French and German remain the most sought

after languages

What does 2014 hold for the UK job market and foreign languages?

75% of the world's population doesn't speak English. The UK Job Market is more competitive than ever. This infographic highlights the most popular languages to learn in 2014 plus the languages you should

learn to boost your employability and career prospects.

Foreign Languages & the UK Job Market

Language skills deficit costs the UK

a year£48bn

Only 38% of Brits speak a foreign

language

"The last twenty years have seen a rapid decline in language learning in the UK, and it’s a problem. It is inhibiting our businesses, our national prosperity and even our international standing." Roland Rudd, New Business for Europe

Language graduates are more likely to find employment and higher salaries after graduation than their peers who studied law, architecture, business or computer science

Graduates who use language skills in employment command

of employers recruit applicants with conversational ability rather than those who are word perfect

CBI found

74%

£ £

those to non-European languages are

down by 21.5%11.2%

of pupils now take NO languages at GCSE

60%79% of employers say intercultural skills are more important than degree classification

38% of UK firms are interested in people who can speak Cantonese or Mandarin, in order to build business links with China

15% of employers are looking for people familiar with the Arabic language and culture

Most Popular Languages To Learn* stats according to Lingos database 2014

29% 21% 12% 11% 11%7% 2%

French ArabicSpanishEnglish GermanMandarin Italian

8-20% higher salary

£ £ £

Sources: • languageswork.org.uk • thirdyearabroad.com • theguardian.com • timeshighereducation.co.uk • salary.com • cbi.org.uk lingos.co

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Compared to 56% of Europeans

75% of the world’s population doesn’t speak English, therefore speaking English alone is not enough to succeed in the future

What are employers looking for?

For 75% of companies, sales turnover increased by 16% as a result of having a ‘language management strategy’ in place