(RG) Interpersonal Communication Lesson

Interpersonal Communication

The images below are taken from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). It shows the major foreign language skills gaps in various industries in the United States. Take a look at the statistics below. Does anything surprise you?

 

 

To the left, U.S. Employers’ Domestic and International Foreign Language Needs circle graph with 47% domestic only as highest percentage followed by mostly domestic, 25%, equally, 18%, mostly international 8%, and international only, 3%. To the right, bar graph showing Demand for Specific Foreign Languages, by U.S. Employers with Domestic-Only vs. International Foreign Language Needs comparing those that have domestic-only needs with those that have at least some international needs. Highest percentage for both on chart is Spanish. Note, because employers with at least some international foreign language needs may also have some domestic needs, it cannot be assumed that a given language is necessarily used for the international market. Highest percentage for both on chart is Spanish. What Foreign Languages Mean for U.S. Employers. 9 out of 10 rely on employees with language skills other than English. Chart of Most In-Demand Foreign Languages Reported by U.S. Employers with Spanish at top of chart. 56 % say their foreign language demand will increase in the next five years. The Foreign Language Skills Gap. 1 in 3 foreign language-dependent U.S. employers report a language skills gap. 1 in 4 U.S. employers lost business due to a lack of foreign language skills. Top 5 departments with greatest foreign language skills need are 1. Customer service, 2. Sales, 3. Marketing, 4. Management, and 5. IT.     

 

Horizontal bar graph titled, Figure 3, Reliance on U.S.-Based Employees with Foreign Language Skills, by Sector. Graph includes the following fields with Construction being the field that most relies on employees with foreign language skills, then Manufacturing, Hospitality and Travel, Professional and Technical Services, Healthcare and Social Assistance, Education Services, Trade, and Other. Graph also indicates percentages for some reliance and no reliance, not at all, with the base being all respondents. Note, survey sample of trade comprises 85% retail and 15 % wholesale.Shortage of Language-Specific Skills. Spanish and Chinese, the two most in-demand foreign languages among U.S. employers, are also most likely to see a skills shortage. Four in 10 employers with a foreign language skills gap report requiring more Spanish language skills while one-third say they need more Chines language skills. French, the third-most sought language among U.S. employers, is cited by 17 percent of respondents as being in short supply. Similar percentages of employers report shortages in Japanese, Korean, Russian, and Arabic shown in table 16 that follows. Table lists language and total percentages for each.

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

Employers in healthcare and social assistance, trade, and professional and technical services are more likely to rely on employees with foreign language skills than those in the manufacturing, construction, education services, and hospitality and travel sectors, figure 3. However, both the construction sector and healthcare and social assistance sector have the highest intensity of demand. Specifically, 42 percent of construction employers and 41 percent of healthcare and social assistance employers say they rely a lot on employees with foreign language skills.

 

 

 

RESOURCES IN THIS MODULE ARE OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER) OR CREATED BY GAVS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. SOME IMAGES USED UNDER SUBSCRIPTION.