Bilingual Competency in U.S. Occupations: Resetting Expectations About Language in American Society

A widespread belief in the U.S. is that bilingual employees are highly valuable to businesses, particularly in a globalized economy. This assumption suggests a wage premium should exist for bilingual skills. However, prior research yielded mixed results, with some studies finding no wage benefit or even lower earnings for bilinguals compared to monolingual English speakers. These earlier studies were limited by their reliance on self-reported language proficiency and lacked standardized measures of language fluency. This study addresses these limitations by analyzing employer-reported language requirements, using standardized benchmarks to assess proficiency levels. This demand-side approach contrasts with the supply-side perspective of previous studies which focused on bilingual employees' self-assessment of their language abilities. The study aims to clarify the actual demand for bilingual skills in the U.S. workplace and examine the extent to which bilingual proficiency translates into higher wages. The study's findings have implications for public education, economic policy, and overall societal expectations surrounding language skills in the United States.

Previous research on the economic value of bilingualism in the U.S. has produced inconsistent results. Early studies primarily focused on non-English-speaking immigrants and their economic returns to learning English, consistently showing a positive correlation between English proficiency and earnings. Studies examining bilingualism among native-born Americans or specific occupational groups (like nurses) showed mixed results, with some finding no wage premium and others reporting small premiums in specific contexts. These studies often relied on self-reported language proficiency data, which may have been subjective and lacked standardized benchmarks for comparison. This study aims to improve upon these limitations by using employer-reported data and standardized measures of language proficiency to assess the demand for bilingual skills in U.S. occupations.

The study's primary data source was the Occupational Information Network (O*NET), a comprehensive database of occupational information developed by the U.S. Department of Labor. The researchers used two O*NET data files: OCCDATA (containing occupation titles and descriptions) and KNOWLEDGE (containing detailed occupational descriptions, including English and foreign language requirements). Data from these files were merged by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code, a seven-character identifier used to categorize occupations. Employment figures per SOC code were obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The final dataset included 764 occupations. The study analyzed two key variables for both English and foreign languages: (a) importance (rated on a five-point scale) and (b) required level (rated on a seven-point scale with benchmark descriptors). The analysis consisted of descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, frequencies), chi-square tests to compare the proportional distribution of occupations across importance and level categories, and Pearson correlation tests to assess relationships among variables like Job Zone (education level required for an occupation), English language level, and foreign language level. The data analysis was performed using SAS 9.4.

The analysis revealed several key findings: 1. **High Demand for English Proficiency:** All U.S. occupations required some level of English proficiency. A significant portion of occupations (52.5%) demanded intermediate to superior English language skills (equivalent to editing a feature article or teaching a college course). 2. **Low Demand for Foreign Language Proficiency:** A substantial portion (46.7%) of occupations did not require any foreign language proficiency. Another 50.4% required only rudimentary foreign language skills, such as saying basic pleasantries, a level not considered true proficiency by most language experts. 3. **Correlation between Language Importance and Level:** A positive correlation existed between the importance of English and the required proficiency level across occupations. Similarly, a positive correlation was observed for foreign languages, though the overall levels remained low. 4. **Surplus of Bilingual Workers:** The study estimated a substantial surplus of bilingual workers in the U.S. labor force (approximately 14.6 million workers more than required), potentially contributing to lower wages for bilingual skills. 5. **Relationship between Job Zone and Language Levels:** A strong positive correlation existed between the Job Zone (educational requirement for an occupation) and the required English language level. However, this correlation was weak for foreign language levels. Specific numerical data from Tables 1-4 further supports these findings. For instance, Table 3 shows that nearly half of all US occupations required English proficiency just below editing a feature article in a local newspaper. The study highlights the contrast between a large population of bilingual individuals and the relatively low demand for foreign language skills in most U.S. occupations.

The study's findings directly challenge the prevalent belief in a substantial wage premium for bilingualism in the U.S. The low demand for foreign language skills, often limited to basic conversational abilities, is likely a major factor explaining the lack of a significant wage premium reported in prior research. The substantial surplus of bilingual workers further underscores this point. The study's results highlight a mismatch between the existing supply of bilingual workers and the relatively limited demand in the current labor market structure. The results also suggest that focusing on advanced English language skills might be more beneficial for career prospects in the U.S. compared to developing only average levels of foreign language proficiency.

This study provides compelling evidence that the demand for foreign language skills in U.S. occupations is significantly lower than commonly assumed, primarily requiring only rudimentary conversational abilities. This low demand, combined with a surplus of bilingual workers, likely contributes to the lack of a substantial wage premium for bilingualism. The findings underscore the need to reset societal expectations about language skills in the U.S., emphasizing the importance of high English proficiency as a key factor for career success. Future research could explore the economic returns of bilingualism after controlling for other relevant factors and examine the demand for specific foreign languages in different occupational sectors and geographical areas.

The study's reliance on O*NET data, which uses cross-job descriptors instead of job-specific tasks, limits the ability to assess precisely how language skills are used in specific job contexts. The descriptive analysis focuses solely on U.S. occupations, making direct generalizations to other contexts difficult. The study also doesn't account for additional factors (race, ethnicity, immigration status, etc.) that could influence economic outcomes. Finally, the absence of wage data in the analysis limits the ability to conclusively link bilingual competency to economic gains.