Thinkopolis: How Relevant Is Your French?

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - May 19, 2015) - While Canada is officially recognized as a bilingual nation, nearly half of Canadians (42 per cent) see the country as one that functions in English, according to the latest Thinkopolis report from Workopolis. Echoing this sentiment, only 8.8 per cent of Canadian job postings require candidates to be fluent in both English and French.

But how closely linked are bilingualism and career success linked in Quebec? Three quarters of French-speaking users stated that it is still essential in the province.

With such polarizing results, Workopolis analyzed the millions of resumes in its database to understand the value of bilingualism across the country.

"Montreal is an obvious city for bilingual candidates," says Tara Talbot, Vice President of HR, Workopolis. "But we wanted to go beyond and look at the job market across the country, studying supply and demand for English and French speaking workers to understand where language skills provide the best competitive advantage."

While French-speaking cities like Montreal have a clear demand for both official languages, they also have a large supply to bilingual job seekers. Candidates start to see a competitive edge when they seek work outside of traditionally French-speaking areas.

The top 10 job markets where bilingual job seekers have a competitive advantage

1. Toronto, Ontario
2. Guelph, Ontario
3. Montreal, Quebec
4. Kitchener, Ontario
5. Fredericton, New Brunswick
6. Hamilton, Ontario
7. Regina, Saskatchewan
8. Moncton, New Brunswick
9. Halifax, Nova Scotia
10. London, Ontario

In addition to the top markets, the report also highlights the top 10 positions where English and French speaking workers can get a leg up on the competition.

The top 10 jobs where bilingual candidates have a competitive advantage

1. Billing Administrator
2. Collections Clerk
3. Financial Administrator
4. Technical Support / Customer Service
5. Human Resources Advisor
6. Marketing Coordinator
7. Systems Administrator
8. Recruitment Consultant
9. Administrative Assistant
10. Sales Representative

The report also revealed that of the 41 per cent of resumes citing fluency in more than one language, only 11 per cent of job seekers list fluency in English and French.

The top 10 language groups combined with English (not including French):

1. Mandarin/Other Chinese language
2. Hindi
3. Spanish
4. Punjabi
5. Tagalog
6. Urdu
7. Arabic
8. Russian
9. Gujarati
10. Tamil

"Canada's growing reputation as a diverse, multi-cultural country is highly evident when we look at the list of top language combinations outside of English and French," said Talbot. "While the need for bilingual workers varies by sector and region, those who are fluent in more than one language tend to have access to more opportunities, face less competition for roles, and earn higher wages. The key is to understand where your skills are needed in today's job market."

For a detailed look at the supply and demand for workers speaking multiple languages, consult the interactive map by clicking here.

ABOUT WORKOPOLIS

Founded in 2000, Workopolis is Canada's leading career site helping employers and candidates connect with each other online. In addition to the millions of monthly visitors to www.workopolis.com, Workopolis reaches users across the web through exclusive partnerships and community sites as well as through innovative use of social networking sites and mobile optimization.

Canadian owned and operated, Workopolis is an equal partnership between Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation, and Square Victoria Digital Properties Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Power Corporation of Canada.

LINK TO INFOGRAPHIC AND FULL REPORT:

http://workopolis.com/research

To view the infographic, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1007849e_info.pdf