Bilingual competency in U.S. occupations: resetting expectations about language in American society

Abstract

The current study significantly underscores the need for resetting expectations about language in American society, especially at a time when immigration, economic growth, and public education are major issues in American civic discourse. That learning a foreign language leads to higher wages in U.S. occupations is prevalent in American society. Yet, there is no empirical evidence to support this notion. Using a standardized nationwide data collection of employer ratings indicating English and foreign language importance and level required in the workplace, the current study suggests underlying causes for this lack of empirical evidence. Among the contributions to the literature, the findings indicate that in US occupations, the average English language level required is near the ability to edit a feature article in a local newspaper, while the average foreign language level required is just below the ability to say “please” and “thank you” in a foreign language.