Foreign languages can be a real springboard for employment. This has been proven by a survey conducted by the Ukrainian company Preply (1). In this study, 1.5 million job offers posted on the Adzuna website were analysed. Although English is now a must in all sectors, other languages can also help you boost your career. Some are particularly sought after by recruiters, while others will allow you to add a few hundred euros to your pay packet. Finally, you will see that French can also open up unexpected professional opportunities. Let’s find out which languages will be the most profitable in 2022.
The languages most in demand by recruiters
No surprises here: English still dominates the ranking. In 2022, it will be difficult to find a professional sector where the language of Shakespeare is not required, whether you are a manager or not. In fact, according to Education First’s latest report on global English proficiency, the trend shows that English language skills are increasingly becoming equal among directors, managers and employees. It is worth noting that in Latin America, it is the employees who have, on average, a better level of English than their superiors.
In second place, we find German. Again, this is not surprising given the close economic relationship between France and its neighbour across the Rhine. According to a 2016 report by Pôle Emploi, 39% of French companies need people with a professional command of German in their workforce.
Were you expecting Spanish to be third on the list? Well, no! It’s a slightly rarer language that is in demand by employers: Mandarin Chinese. Preply’s analysts found 1,395 job offers requiring mastery of this language, 386 more than for Spanish, which therefore occupies fourth place in this ranking.
🇨🇳 Still not sure if you want to take up Chinese? This article should convince you to take the plunge: 6 reasons that will make you want to learn Mandarin Chinese!
The most profitable languages in terms of pay
The languages most in demand by recruiters are not necessarily the ones that “pay the best”. This is the conclusion of the study carried out by the Ukrainian company.
For example, the average annual salary offered by French companies to their English-speaking employees is €75,441. However, this amount rises to:
- €78,570 for Spanish speakers ;
- €80,377 for German speakers ;
- and even €83,414 for employees who speak Italian.
However, the most profitable languages are much rarer. These are Japanese and Hindi, for which employers are willing to pay over €90,000 annually.
🇯🇵 Do these salary levels make you dream? Then why not try learning Japanese!
Good to know : whichever language you choose to learn, it will have an impact on your salary. This was revealed in a study conducted by the consultancy firm Asterès.
“An employee who is proficient in a foreign language at a conversational level can expect to earn an average of €4,300 more per year than an employee is not.”
Source ASTERÈS, Sept. 2021
The ideal language for expatriation ventures
Would you like to put your French skills to good use? A particularly lucrative idea. The language of Molière is in great demand abroad. If you have plans to expatriate, you might want to know the cities where French-speaking professionals are in great demand :
- Londres (5 046 offers) ;
- Toronto (1 667 offers) ;
- New York (1 577 offers).
Also note that since French language skills are valued by international companies, you can earn attractive salaries. Preply has ranked by city, the highest annual salaries for French speakers. Here are the results*:
- Toronto : € 137, 575
- Ottawa : € 115, 702
- Chicago : € 103, 780
- Dallas : € 97, 408
- Karlsruhe : € 93, 941
As you can see, it is in North America, and particularly in Canada, where the salaries are the most attractive.
💡 You might also be interested in this article : Which languages should you learn to match your needs and expectations?
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(1) Which languages do you need to speak to get the best salaries in France and in the world ? Preply – June 3, 2022
* currency conversion to euros made at the rate in effect on April 19, 2022 on xe.com