The language we speak can have non-negligible consequences. Some social, some cognitive, some economic. So, today, February 21, which occurs the International Mother Language Day of UNESCO we have tried to understand what the economic value of Italian is. Not only that, we also try to identify which work doors the language we learn and practice since we are children opens up for us.
Yes, because this is one of the elements that – simplifying a lot – determines the value of a language.
«In this perspective, language skills are seen as part of the human capital of individuals which increases their productivity. An increase of this type, all other things being equal, usually translates into higher income and better employment opportunities, ie lower unemployment “he explains Michele Gazzola, lecturer at the University of Ulster and expert in language economics.
But multilingualism, i.e. the knowledge of several linguistic codes, in the globalized world in which we have lived for years can also lead benefits to a state as a whole. This is because it favors “trade and reduces transaction costs in the purchasing, production and sales processes”. This is a fact that the Americans who speak what is considered the lingua franca par excellence, English, are also realizing; according to what they explain to us from Chat, one of the world’s leading applications for language learning, “the United States is the first country for the number of users who want to learn a language for professional reasons; Americans have gradually begun to see the benefits of dealing with clients in their mother tongue and to place greater value on intercultural skills. ‘
WHICH ARE THE MOST PRECIOUS LANGUAGES FOR AN ITALIAN WORKER?
If we stick to the value that a language can have based on the work doors it opens, we might ask ourselves which languages an Italian worker should learn to find work more easily. The answer is not so obvious. This is because it is always necessary to evaluate “for who language has value, e dove there you are. For business in Latin America, different languages are needed than those needed to trade in Central Asia, where Russian still plays an important role. Those working in the informal economy in many West African countries may find it helpful to know the wolof in addition to French ”explains Gazzola.
But then also the evergreen mechanism of demand offer. «In Italian schools, English is taught mainly or exclusively. It is certainly a useful language, but with time its knowledge will become more and more widespread and therefore it will gradually become trivial. This will ensure that in the labor market the income premium for those who know English will tend to be lower and lower ».
Yes, because the more people have that competence, the less rare it will be; the same cannot be said instead of the knowledge of languages such as French and German, the study of which is rather limited in our country. A phenomenon that is senseless if we consider «that the German and French-speaking countries are the main Italian trading partners. This makes the worker who knows these languages more “valuable” than others, at least in the eyes of the employers who serve these languages. When there is demand for a good but the supply is scarce, the price increases ».
The data he provided Chat they say something more: if the Italians neglect German and French, the same cannot be said of the counterpart. 18% of the users of the application who choose Italian for professional reasons are in fact German, “pushed by being able to communicate with colleagues and customers more effectively: these are jobs mainly in the commercial field, in particular with food companies, steel and automotive industries »explains Gianluca Pedrotti.
Furthermore, taking a look at the data, it is immediately clear that the German it is an ace in the hole of Italian workers: other things being equal, in fact, it determines on average a pay difference of 28%; followed by French (21%) and English (18%). “If I can give advice to Italian readers looking for work, then, I suggest that they learn German and French well (as well as other languages), and ask the government to invest more in multilingualism instead of focusing only on the teaching of English”.
THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE ITALIAN STUDIED BY WORKERS IN ITALY
Curious, yes, but only for those who do not stop for a second to think about it. Yes, because the first consideration is that people who may have a mother tongue different from Italian work in our country. In this case, integration, social and occupational, is the engine of learning (and it has been seen that this type of motivation produces surprising results).
But there is more: also thanks to the spread of remote work, the number of job advertisements requiring Italian is increasing as a necessary skill. To tell us is Filippo Saini of InfoJobs: «Analyzing the over 366,000 offers on InfoJobs in 2020, thanks to the support of WollyBI of Burning Glass Technology Europe, only in the last period we have found over 200 that explicitly require this expertise. In particular, for figures such as professional engineers, system analysts, industrial engineers, but also accountants, marketing professionals and call center staff ».
ITALIAN, HOW MUCH IS IT WORTH ON THE LABOR MARKET?
It is useless to tell it: if we exclude the lexical loans we have spread around the world in certain sectors, including food and wine, “Italian does not have the same international diffusion as other languages. Every so often we read in the Italian press that it would be the fourth most studied language in the world. This is a hoax born from a misinterpretation of a research conducted years ago by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. However, this does not mean that Italian does not yet enjoy a certain diffusion and that there is not a pool of people interested in learning it »continues Gazzola.
A timid diffusion that is also a consequence of limited state stimuli. «The spread of a language abroad can be favored by public investments in language and culture institutes such as the Italian Cultural Institutes (IIC), dependent on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, or the Dante Alighieri Society. Italy invests very little compared to other countries, and this slows down the spread of Italian abroad ».
This does not mean, however, that our language cannot give an edge in certain contexts. Which? Find out in the gallery.
(Photo: Adobe Stock).
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
