German has been listed as the most in-demand and highest paid language in the UK, according to a recent study by job search engine Adzuna.The study, which analysed over one million live job postings, has provided insight into the most in-demand languages by UK employers. Across the UK, German was rated the most in-demand and highest paid language – ahead of French. However, French remains the highest paid language in London.European languages lead the way in terms of demand, with only two of the ten most wanted languages not belonging to the continent. Despite this, non-European languages fared better in terms of salary with Mandarin (9th), Arabic (2nd) and Japanese (6th) making their way onto the highest paid list.Doug Monro, co-founder of Adzuna, comments, “We’ve spoken out about how being based in a city with quick access to skilled foreign language speakers helped Adzuna expand – 22 per cent of Londoners speak another main language. Our study shows we are not unique ­– countless other businesses are looking to grow quicker by hiring workers with additional languages.“With nobody quite sure whether ‘Brexit means Brexit’ actually means an end to free movement, the business community will be looking to the UK government for assurances that access to skilled foreign language speakers will not be restricted. Polish, the most widely spoken language after English in the UK, was sixth in the list of most in-demand languages, with 1,575 advertised positions asking for the language.Meanwhile there was moderate demand for British Sign Language (BSL) across the country, with 603 vacancies.

Highest paid languages for advertised jobs across the UK

Language Average Salary

1. German £34,534
2. Arabic £34,122
3. French £32,646
4. Dutch £29,423
5. Spanish £29,262
6. Japanese £28,954
7. Russian £28,858
8. Italian £28,723
9. Mandarin £28,268
10. Welsh £27,857

Most in demand languages across the UK

Language Vacancies

1. German 6,800
2. French 6,149
3. Spanish 3,106
4. Italian 2,460
5. Dutch 1,865
6. Polish 1,575
7. Mandarin 1,246
8. Russian 1,237
9. Swedish 1,118
10. Arabic 1,113

Read our Autumn 2016 issue Language feature from Global LT – Learning a language: mission possible!

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