Report: Foreign-Born Workers Struggle With English

NEW YORK -- According to a new survey by the Conference Board, the majority of employers are doing little to overcome the language barrier as more and more foreign-born workers join the U.S. workforce.

“The future for many U.S.-based companies appears flush with potential employees lacking English language skills,” says Chris Woock, author of the report. “Whether and how companies choose to accommodate these workers could have significant impacts on the sustainability of success. Latest evidence suggests companies could do well to recruit and hire the best available talent, irrespective of their language limitations, and invest in language training.”

Foreign-born Americans account for over 10 percent of the population and about 15 percent of the labor force, as well as half of net labor force increase. Over 50 percent of those foreign-born workers come from Latin America, and one-quarter are from Asia.

If current immigration levels continue, immigrants will account for half of the growth in America’s working age population between now and 2015, and will account for most of the growth through 2025.

According to the U.S. Census, fewer than one in four Mexican-born immigrants can speak English well. Only 40 percent of other Hispanic, Asian and European immigrants speak English. Given that nearly half of all non-English speaking immigrants struggling with English, the language barrier is proving to be a major problem.

The Conference Board survey found 66 percent of companies do not provide English language skills in their training programs. Of that group, more than half say they “have not found a need to warrant such training,” despite over 80 percent say they employ English deficient workers.

Companies that don’t currently provide training indicated that they would add it if it resulted in increased productivity.

The majority of employers say English language skills are important for new workforce entrants to be successful. In fact, studies show that immigrant workers who report speaking English “well” or “very well” earn between 5 and 15 percent more than those who report speaking English “not well” or “not at all.” Problems with English proficiency can also limit promotion opportunities.

For more information, visit http://www.conference-board.org.

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Foreign born workers struggle with English 5/5/2008 12:52:00 PM Most communities have english classes for immigrants. I think it is up to the people to find a class and learn english. It shouldn't be up to the employer to provide classes.
comprender 5/5/2008 1:01:00 PM Perhaps this report should have been written in a language other than english. Then we would know how illegal immigrants feel. Or perhaps if it were important to know, we would learn the language provided so that we could better understand. Or Not!
Report: Foreign-Born Workers Struggle With English 5/5/2008 1:07:00 PM I saw several English errors in this report. Perhaps the staff could use some English training.
Foreign born workers 5/5/2008 1:36:00 PM Since the Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion on demand, our nation has killed enough workers to offset the current population of illegal immigrants from Mexico.
Foreign-Born Workers 5/5/2008 1:39:00 PM I'm sure that this labor force is working in the lower paying job classes. It works to the advantage of companies since the language barrier does limit the mobility of this labor force. There are those that will take advantage of the educational systems but the majority will stay put.
Foreign born workers struggle with English 5/5/2008 1:40:00 PM It would be interesting to know what percentage of these foreign born workers having trouble with the english language are illegal aleins. I would suspect many legal immigrants have the best language skills.
Foreign Workers 5/5/2008 1:42:00 PM Since when are we Americans responsible for educating foreigners. The problem exists because we have a lot of sickos in this country who claim that we owe that to the foreigner.Instead of going to class at a local high school to learn our language they do nothing because these sickos maintain they don't have to.Have you ever been hospitalised and had a foreign doctor you could not understand or a teller at the bank who could not make herself understood and had the audacity to get angry because you asked to repeat herself ? My answer to the sickos and those foreigners is " if you're planning to come to our country and do not want to extend the courtesy to us to learn our language on your own,STAY HOME, we don't want you"!
Foreign-Born Workers 5/5/2008 1:57:00 PM Every job I have ever applied for there was a skills test I had to take ~ and pass. Guess what? They were all in English. If I wouldn't have been able to read them ~ I would not have a job.
Teaching English OTJ? 5/5/2008 2:00:00 PM Probably most companies should do this!
Foreign-Born Workers 5/5/2008 2:05:00 PM If the foreign worker wants to work in the US for a US company, it should be their responsibility to learn the language. The company should convey to the potential employee that they should be versed in the English language prior to submitting their CV.
Foreign-Born Workers Struggle With English 5/5/2008 2:08:00 PM Foreign workers that can not speak English should not hold certain jobs. If they can not effectively communicate, they are a safety hazard to themselves and co-workers.
Illigal thoughs 5/5/2008 2:16:00 PM Apperently some need illigal immigrants to fill a litte better about theirselfs. So sorry
Foreign-Born Workers 5/5/2008 2:17:00 PM Looking at the global perspective large corporations are investing in foreign workers such as in engineering and high tech services. With the technology of today and the ability of computers to translate the need to learn English might not be that relevant.
Foreign born workers struggle with English 5/5/2008 2:29:00 PM I can’t blame foreign laborers from trying to get into this country (it is after all the greatest country in the world); that being said if you are here legally learn the language (it is a duty and a privilege)…if you are here illegally then you only need to know just a few words of English (halt turn around and don’t come back)
Foreign Workers 5/5/2008 2:49:00 PM Workers coming to America should assimilate to the culture and to the language of the country... I would never go to another country and expect them to teach me the local language. On a side note... I had to replace every fire extinguisher in my plant recently, not because they were deficient, because they did not have instructions in Spanish on them. What is the reasoning behind that law?
Report: Foreign-Born Workers Struggle With English 5/5/2008 3:17:00 PM 1. I too saw several English errors in grammar and punctuation, but OK, the message got across. Give the EaSLs a break if you understand the message. 2. Rowe v Wade? (I'm surprised that comment was not removed by the editors.) Is the writer proposing that unwanted pregnancies be brought to term and then sent to labor camps? 3. Communication is the key; employers and employees are both responsible for that.
Foreing born workers struggle with English 5/5/2008 3:46:00 PM When active in politics, I went from door to door to urge people to vote. I found that of US-born, high school graduates, one out of six could not read. Even US-born citizens have trouble with English. Have you noticed that most engineers and other technical professionals have trouble writing? How many people that you know are proficient in public speaking? Another observation from politics, many people who immigrated to the United States have not learned English because they want to go home. Another observation, if you work for a company that is bought by a company in China, should you be required to speak Mandarin?
Report: Foreign-Born Workers Struggle With English 5/5/2008 4:03:00 PM To the individual who had to change the fire extinguishers: Shouldn't your fire extinguishers also have instructions in Swahili? A worker's first language might be Swahili. Or how about Polish, or Afrikaans, or Portuguese, or Tagalog . . .
Foreign born workers struggle with English 5/5/2008 6:01:00 PM Here in California primary and secondary schools provide special English language courses to children of foreign workers (legal or not). Adult education in the English language is offered at no cost at the secondary school premises after hours as well. We currently have a population in California that is almost half bilingual now as a result. Most service and factory sector jobs are now advertised having bilingual as being preferred. All the while the Conference Board Report seems to indicate that industry should consider offering additional language training on top of that which public education provides. As the perfect sequel, soon citizens who are English-only speaking will be bemoaning this same issue by 2025 since they will disadvantaged being monolingual and will be and lobbying for Spanish as a second language to remain employable.
Controlled English is the answer to English in the Workplace 5/5/2008 7:12:00 PM Great report. We have supplied Controlled English tools, that use a Simplified English that works in 140 countries and USA. Simplified English is mandatory for aircraft maintenance manuals.
UnderstandingWords 5/5/2008 8:11:00 PM Only two words need understanding. "Go Home".
Foreign-Born Workers Struggle With English 5/6/2008 10:16:00 AM When my grandparents came from Europe to America, they spoke ENGLISH. Their house rule was, whenever there was company, ENGLISH was spoken. At work, they spoke ENGLISH. Around the Grandchildren...ENGLISH. Yes, they held onto their original languages and customs and passed them along... But when they became American citizens, (and even before) They knew that the common language here was ENGLISH. They took it upon themselves to learn it, speak it and become part of it. In a previous job doing field work that involved going into people's homes I was confronted with situations where there were language barriers. In one case a lady told me "You should learn Spanish" Of course I had to reply "No, YOU need to learn ENGLISH" By the way... how on earth do these people expect to even drive to work when all the road signage is written in ENGLISH and they can't even read it?
Good Lesson 5/6/2008 12:15:00 PM Back in September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a social studies school teacher at Robinson High School in Little Rock, did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school, with the permission of the school superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she removed all of the desks out of her classroom. When the first period kids entered the room they discovered that there were no desks. Looking around, confused, they asked: 'Ms. Cothren, where're our desks?' She replied, 'You can't have a desk until you tell me what you have done to earn the right to sit at a desk.' They thought, 'Well, maybe it's our grades.' 'No,' she said. Maybe it's our behavior.' She told them, 'No, it's not even your behavior. And so, they came and went, the first period, second period, third period. Still no desks in the classroom. By early afternoon television news crews had started gathering in Ms. Cothren's classroom to report about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of her room. The final period of the day came and the puzzled students found seats on the floor of the deskless classroom. Martha Cothren said, 'Throughout the day no one has been able to tell me just what he/she has done to earn the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in this classroom. Now I am going to tell you.' At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it. Twenty-seven U.S. Veterans, all in uniforms, walked into that classroom each one carrying a school desk. The Vets began placing the school desks in rows, and then they would walk over and stand alongside the wall. By the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place those kids started to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives, just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned. Martha said, 'You didn't earn the right to sit at these desks. These heroes did it for you. They placed the desks here for you. Now, it's up to you to sit in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to be good students, to be good citizens. They paid the price so that you could have the freedom to get an education. Don't ever forget it.' By the way, this is a true story. If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can read it in English, thank a soldier.
LEARN THE LINGO 5/7/2008 2:17:00 PM What nation will teach me a language for free after I sneak into their county? NADA!
Foreign Born Workers Struggle with English 5/8/2008 4:19:00 PM Here is a good example of the priorities of this country. The article that I just read seemed to indicate that it is the employer’s responsibility to teach English to the non-English speaking workers that they employ. The more we allow the immigrants in this country to speak, write and defame our nation, the less they are going to be willing to learn English and appreciate the governing laws and ways of this country. Why should they? They have obtained work, are getting paid and don't need to speak English. Get the hint people. If you don't force the issue, most people won't take the initiative. Last time I checked I have to press 1 to hear the message in English – what a disappointment for all the lives lost to keep our freedoms that we have!
Doesn't this reply say it all?! 5/9/2008 12:09:00 PM "Apperently some need illigal immigrants to fill a litte better about theirselfs. So sorry". WOW! How many mistakes are there in two sentences?!?! I laughed out loud!
Language is not the issue 5/10/2008 6:02:00 PM If you where not born and raised in North America, legal or ilegal, there is a good chance you'll face language difficulties too. As one of the comments above reads:" Even US-born citizens have trouble with English". For me language, immigration status, nationality, etc. is not the issue: proper understanding is. The effective key for communicationsis to listen, then speak. As far as vocabulary, grammar, etc. all that can be learned...as long as there is interest..And for employers, it is not a matter of English lessons - it has to do with desire for success. Per the originalo article" Latest evidence suggests companies could do well to recruit and hire the best available talent, irrespective of their language limitations"

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