THE ESSENTIALITY OF ENGLISH COMMUNICATION AT WORK

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First of all let’s see…

How important it is having English skills at work?

Considering the labor market, it is a well-known fact that those who are fluent in English can earn more than those who don’t have this skill mentioned in their CV.  Moreover a high percentage of people faces the problem of shyness or miscommunication which can cost them the position or job they want. 

Really interesting are the following findings of how much it costs having a gap in your English language skills at work, according to the survey that was conducted at a variety of industries and countries “English at Work: global analysis of language skills in the workplace” which has been compiled by Cambridge English in collaboration with QS (Global Employer Survey). Part of the findings mention :

“English is spoken at some level by 1.75 billion people worldwide – roughly a quarter of the world’s population. The vast majority of people who use English are non-native speakers (over 1 billion people).

English is immensely important wherever you are in the world. Our work language is English. It is the real global language and is important in education, relations and business. In countries and territories where English is not a native or official language, over two thirds of employers say that English is important for their business. English is the language of international business, so increasingly it is just as important for businesses in native and non-native English-speaking countries. The survey shows that English language skills are important for over 95% of employers in many countries and territories where English is not an official language. In countries and territories where English is not an official language, 69% of employers said that English is significant for their organization.

How many employers have an English language skills gap?

There has been found that in every industry, there is a gap between the English language skills required and the skills that are actually available. Across all company sizes there is at least a 40% skills gap. The highest skills gaps are in countries/territories where English is not an official language, with almost one in five employers reporting that over 70% of their workforce has a skills gap.

Benefits for employees

In countries and territories where English is not an official language, approximately half of all employers offer a better starting package to applicants with good English language skills. Good English skills can lead to faster progression through job grades (50% of employers) and higher salary increases (49% of employers).

There has been a business demand for English in recent years and unprecedented investment in English language learning. However, the responses to this survey show that there is overwhelming business demand for English language skills. English is the language of global business, and the globalization trend is predicted to grow even further. By 2030, global trade in goods is forecast to nearly double to $18 trillion, up from $10.3 trillion in 2013”.

It is understandable that language barriers waste our efforts, time, and money, there is a cost of miscommunication, higher stress levels, low morale, missed performance goals, as well as low sales. According to another survey, one of 403 senior executives, managers and junior staff members conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit and Lucidchart found that it is daunting “just how expensive these miscommunications are – in terms of financial as well as human costs”. Communication breakdowns in the workplace lead to:

Higher stress levels (among 52 percent of the respondents)

Delay or failure to complete projects (among 44 percent)

Low morale (among 31 percent)

Missed performance goals (among 25 percent)

Lost sales (among 18 percent)

Moreover, according to the survey, English at Work: global analysis of language skills in the workplace” which has been compiled by Cambridge English in collaboration with QS (Global Employer Survey), it is estimated that: “98.5% of employers have at least one method of assessing English language competency. The most common method is to interview applicants in English. In addition, over a quarter of all employers use an external English language test created by experts. The use of external English language tests created by experts indicates how important English language skills are to employers and the need to assess language skills in a thorough and reliable way. In English-speaking countries, employers rely on job interviews. Over three quarters of employers say they always evaluate applicants’ English language skills in the job interview. These employers are least likely to test applicants, with approximately half saying they never use a test during the application process. In contrast, employers in countries&territories where English is not an official language use a wide range of methods for evaluating English language skills – on some occasions interviewing in English, on other occasions testing applicants, and on others checking English language qualifications.”

Knowing these, you can decide to upgrade your English language communication skills and be a confident professional.

Join me in Mastering your Confidence when speaking English, using my methodology& techniques based on NLP, coaching, adult learning and English and make the investment that your future self will thank you for. What I offer you is a proven strategy that has helped a great amount of people master their confidence in communicating in English. Do not let former disappointment keep you back. Communicating in English with confidence is truly possible. Give yourself now, the opportunity that you will be thankful for. 

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