As the year 2021 commences, foreign language skills have become an important note for working candidates and recruiters. With digitalized globalization, the world feels as if it were shrinking more and more as everyone is able to access everything through anything at any time. That goes for foreign language skills as well. In fact, a 2020 census by the US Census Bureau stated that about 99% of households will be able to respond by phone in their own native language.

This mind-boggling discovery of foreign language skills has also announced itself in the professional fields. A report conducted by ACTFL shows that 32% of employers are increasingly recruiting candidates with foreign language skills other than English. However, 34% of employers also stated that their foreign language requirements are not currently being met by their employees. Regardless of the shortages met in hiring candidates with foreign language skills, you could still be one of the chosen and favored.

Euro London, a language specialist recruitment, found that a working employee with foreign language skills is able to receive an additional of 10-15% to their wages. Investing in foreign language skills is a very wise decision for all candidates to expand their working opportunities. Once we’ve understood our potential and value of learning a language, it’s time to see which 5 foreign language skills are currently searched by recruiters.

German

$15 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Germany | PlanetWare$

A lot of English speakers would pursue this foreign language skill as German is known to be in the same language family as English. Apart from that, German is also the biggest economic powerhouse in Europe. Every year European immigrants arrive seeking job opportunities in Germany. To obtain this foreign language skill, you’ll have the grand opportunity to earn higher salary and other business opportunities in Germany.

German is also one of the official languages used in the European Union. Not to mention, the most spoken native language in Europe. It is spoken by over 70 million native speakers and a total of 132 million speakers worldwide. And a little side note: since most Germans end up staying in the country, you’ll be able to enter their social bubbles with this foreign language skill.

Whether doing business in Germany or expand your career in fields such as engineering, automobile, power and utility with German companies, then learning this foreign language skill is the one for you.

French

Iconic Eiffel tower closed from public due to COVID-19 outbreak | CGTN Africa

The famous language of romance is the second widely learned foreign language skill after English. With about 77 million native speakers and a total of 277 million speakers, French is also spoken on 5 different continents of the world. The ability to learn this foreign language skill will not only open up a lot of doors to French culture and companies – but other French-speaking parts of the world.

Additionally, France is the one of the most popular destinations for both tourists and students. The most popular universities and business schools in France are ranked as some of the best institutions of the world. While in 2018, France was coronated as the first tourist destination in the world with the arrival of 88 million tourists worldwide.

Thus, France became one of the main economic powerhouses of Europe and the third biggest country for international investors. This foreign language skill will surely be an enormous advantage for you.

Mandarin

Famous Palaces of China: Imperial, Largest & Religious Palaces

Make way for China, the world’s next economy powerhouse! The language itself, Mandarin, is the second most spoken language of the world with over 1.1 billion speakers worldwide and 921 million native speakers. Mastering this foreign language skill would help you gain a lot of new friends and business partners.

By 2035, China is predicted to gain the global rank of top ten largest cities with four cities; Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. The four cities were appraised as a part of the most competitive financial centers in the world. It also has the three out of ten largest stock exchanges in the world – Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Shenzhen.

It is without a doubt that learning this foreign language skill will be a breadwinner in front of your bosses and colleagues.

Spanish

$30 Famous Landmarks in Spain You Need To Visit in 2021$

Spanish has also begun to expand in the United States and Europe as the second popular foreign language choice after English. As the fourth most spoken language in the world, it has over 460 million native speakers and a total of 538 million worldwide speakers. In addition, you can also use this valuable foreign language skill in other parts of South and Central America, such as Mexico, Chile, and Colombia.

Learning a new language can be quite difficult, but Spanish is considered to be easy by language experts. Especially to English speakers who wish to obtain this foreign language skill. Similar to English vocabulary, the syntax and grammar of Spanish are complex-free and straight to the point.

Arabic

Saudi Arabia Country Profile - career-advice.jobs.ac.uk

Our next foreign language skill candidate is the national language of one of the wealthiest regions in the world, Arab, with over $600 billion in GDP. Arabic is also the sixth most spoken language of the world, with a total of 247 million speakers worldwide. In fact, Arab is also the national language of over 20 countries in Middle Eastern countries.

Hence, a lot of recruiters are looking for candidates with this foreign language skill. There are a lot of vast market opportunities for Western Arabic speakers. In addition, this foreign language skill is the second highest-paid translation language.

As a speaker of the biggest oil country in the world, you’ll also find various opportunities for possessing this rare foreign language skill.

Find these language courses on LingoTalk!

Feeling inspired yet to learn, at least, one of these languages? If you’re looking for an affordable and fun language learning experience guided by a tutor, head over now to LingoTalk. We offer a one-stop solution in learning new languages effectively through online methods. For more cool insights like this, head on over to our page.