Written by Gabriela Estrada

Studies have shown that workers who speak more than one language tend to earn more money and have access to more employment opportunities. Specifically, in Canada, Hispanic immigrants who are fluent in English and/or French have a huge competitive advantage in the country's job market and higher salaries, wages or professional fees. And of course this is true, because communicating in Canada requires learning one of these two official languages, not only to understand each other on a day-to-day basis, but also to advance in the workplace and opt for a better economic remuneration.

This is today's topic for multilingualism lovers in general and those interested in learning English or French for immigration purposes to Canada. I invite you to read this article from the Planeta Immiland blog to learn about the benefits and economic impact of speaking a second language. Let's get started!

Economic advantages of speaking a second language

In the world of work, the command of a second language is taken into account and can influence the hiring of a new employee. In Canada, employers know that Hispanic immigration dominates a certain percentage of the country and the first thing they demand in exchange for good pay is that the job candidate speaks English or French; this has important economic advantages, here are some of them:

1. Access to more job opportunities. Canada is a country with a strong economy and a great demand for professionals in various fields. Here, companies are looking for bilingual employees to guarantee international expansion in digital marketing, programming, consulting, etc., as well as to serve English-speaking clients in different areas, for example, a restaurant or a store. Undoubtedly, this type of position requires direct oral understanding; the better the Hispanic communicates with the customer, the more possibilities he/she will have to sell a product or service and obtain economic gains for it, such as tips, for example.

Highly skilled professions, such as doctors, engineers or scientists, generally command higher salaries than jobs in less specialized sectors. A Spanish-speaker competing for a job in these areas will have access to a high salary if he or she speaks English or French well, otherwise he or she will have to settle for average pay.

1. Save money while you study. If you are an international student and you are fluent in English or French, you will have a better chance of getting a scholarship, if you apply for it. This is a huge advantage because you will save living expenses by having a good command of the language, however, Canadian universities require international certificates such as the IELTS, so take into account that you must present this or another recognized exam.
2. Canada's larger and more expensive cities, such as Toronto and Vancouver, tend to have higher salaries to compensate for the higher cost of living. Here professionals and non-professionals can earn better. If a Spanish speaker with good English works in one of these cities, his or her salary is likely to be higher than the minimum wage, which ranges from 16.55 CAD per hour to 16.75 CAD per hour. It should be noted that in rural or less expensive areas, wages may be lower.
3. French-speaking Hispanics can achieve a robust and very stable economy if they choose Quebec, as this French-speaking province is more affordable than the rest of the country, so they can save more money on rent, food, sightseeing, etc.

Being bilingual in Canada

In short, fluency in French and/or English is important in Canada, unlike in the United States, where many Hispanics are able to enter the job market with their native Spanish and a pay commensurate with their own knowledge of English. The best thing to do is to raise the level of the language and look for the economic immigration routes that Canada offers and allow you to arrive in the country with permanent residency. For example, French speakers interested in permanent residency have a great advantage if they compete in the Express Entry system for the special category French Proficiency or for the economic mobility program Mobilité Francophone.

Important: in Canada, sectors such as tourism and hospitality are among the occupations in demand, so English and French are essential. At Planeta Immiland Education we offer the course for the following economic routes Express Entry y Mobilité Francophone with very good results.

The 18-week fast-track entry English course is designed to maximize your chances of excelling on your path to permanent residency. The Mobilité Francophone intensive French course is recommended for immigrating to Canada with a CBL 5. It is offered over 15 weeks per course, during which time you will be able to develop discussion skills and express opinions on current issues.

Take our free free online placement test to help you know your language level and design a personalized study plan. Know your level of English or French in a few minutes and start improving your language skills to generate a greater economic impact on your income!

That's it for today. I hope you liked this topic, see you in the next blog!

With love,

Planeta Immiland Education