British jobseekers 'missing out due to lack of language abilities'

Companies in the UK are becoming increasingly reliant upon language knowledge, meaning that graduates without language skills could be missing out, an official has claimed.

Small to medium-sized companies (SMEs) are relying more and more on multilingual employees to conduct their businesses, according to Leonard Orban, the European Union (EU) Commissioner for Languages.

Mr Orban said that, as UK jobseekers are not efficient enough when it comes to languages, they are losing out on job roles to foreign nationals and overseas workers, The Guardian reported.

'An English mother-tongue candidate with additional languages has an even more competitive edge. If you know the local language and culture, you are more likely to clinch that lucrative business deal,' he added.

A spokesperson for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in July recommended that those who speak a second language have a better chance of furthering their careers - especially if they plan to work for global companies.