Graduates urged on languages skills - graduate jobs

British workers are missing out on international jobs due to their lack of language skills, according to research by office space experts Regus.

The lack of language skills is one of the challenges for UK firms who want to trade with markets outside Europe such as China, India, Russia and Brazil. The research found that successful bosses in the future will be able to speak a language other than English.

Stephan Chambers, from the University of Oxford, said that while English is the language of world business, employees who speak another language will become more valuable as they can provide insight and increase competitiveness.

Mr Chambers said: "There will be an increasing premium on managers who speak Mandarin, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic or Russian as the centres of business power move inexorably towards the new economic powerhouses of China and elsewhere."

Copyright Press Association 2012