Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S A : Today’s number is about… directors’ level of English

Workers around the world admit that one in five of their directors lack the English skills needed to fulfill the expectations of their job. This is one of the main conclusions of the study 'English at work: global analysis of language skills in the workplace ', conducted by the Cambridge English Language Assessment Department at Cambridge University and the consulting firm QS Intelligence Unit, and covered in Equipos y Talento.

The executives feel that 22% of their director lack the English skills needed to do their job. However, only 1 in 20 (4%) plan to improve their English.

Command of this language varies from region to region, and this is especially evident in some emerging economies. For example in India, 9 in 10 (91%) have a sufficient level of English to fulfill the obligations of their job, compared to 6 in 10 (61%) of their peers in China.

The differences are also considerable within Europe. In France, Belgium and Switzerland, having a high level of English is crucial and 95% of directors have the needed level. However, the percentage of directors with the needed English skills to do their job declines to 75% in Spain.

Research based on data from more than 5,000 workers in different sectors from 38 countries underscores corporations' high demand for a high level of English in management positions in all types of industries. In fact, more than 90% of those surveyed say that this language is important in their work. The study shows also that half of the directors feel that having a good level of English can lead to employee promotions.

The study's conclusions have served to create a useful web site for human resources professionals, which shows the knowledge and use of English based on the size of the companies, the sector and location where they operate, as well as the requirements most in demand in each area. For example, more than 70% of technology companies with 100 to 499 employees require a high or native level of English to give presentations. Meanwhile the most needed skills for employees in this type of company are reading and speaking English, with 38% and 35% respectively.