The Language Advantage

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An article in Indian Express discusses the barriers to transforming the world of work something we’ve long suspected –

”Companies are finding that despite India’s one-billion population, the effective employable pool for white-collar workers is smaller than anticipated. This is causing salaries to ratchet upwards”. At the same time, there is a large mass of educated and unemployed people or those stuck in jobs well below their skill and qualification.

Educated and yet unemployed / underemployed? The article asserts that the core reason is English language skills and provides a startling figure –

…Salary differences between equally qualified (non-professional/technical) candidates can be as high as 400 to 500 per cent. In fact, the more fancied jobs in airlines, hotels, media, banks and financial services only to those who know English, the rest are forced into less fancied assignments.

…The best jobs with the upmarket shopping malls, multiational fast-food chains and tony restaurants go to those who can speak English along with the mandatory fluency in local languages. The job market in the services sector is likely to expand furiously as malls, multiplexes, food courts, and large retail chains expand operations across India, moving from the cities to larger towns. This growth will only accelerate if the government eventually permits Foreign Direct Investment in the Retail Sector, letting in large retail chains such as Wal-Mart.

The English advantage really drives home the cultural globalization at work within India. Such a large pay differential implies – particularly when seen in retail & services sectors – that there are domestic, well-to-do desi consumers who pay a premium to interact with confident English speakers as part of their business experience. Message to your bro’s back home – Learn English – 400-500% is a far bigger differential than, for ex., the diff between undergrad and grad degrees.

On the flip side, I suppose some sorts of anti-globalization advocates would wipe out the 400 to 500% differential by keeping the Wal-Mart’s out and keeping everyone equally poor.

11 thoughts on “The Language Advantage”

  1. Due to linguistic nationalism at a state and federal level public schools in India generally do not offer English language education.

    English still remains the lingua-franca, so those who can afford it send their kids to a private English-speaking school.

    These private schools are out of reach for the average Indian so there isn’t a lot of class mobility.

    This is also why so many non-christians in India send their kids to convent schools (cheap english language education).

  2. Such a large pay differential implies – particularly when seen in retail & services sectors – that there are domestic, well-to-do desi consumers who pay a premium to interact with confident English speakers as part of their business experience

    Or it just shows that Indian slave mentality is live and kicking.

    I doubt if a English speaker in another 3rd world country such as Mexico will get 500% more salary just because he knows English.

    Well, but in India we want coolies who can speak in the master’s language.

    South Koreans dont speak good english when they are in South Korea, but they built world class companies such as Daewoo, Samsung and LG and on and on. They boast west european level standard of living … all these without English. I didnt argue with Japan as an example , because they are in such a different league that English speaking Indians cant even dream to get there. IMO ofcourse.

    Let me give you another reason why English based class heirarchy is disatrous for India. Most middle class people have domestic help in their homes. The people working as domestic help dont see their wages go up and cant get into other sectors due to the hindrance of English based class system. As a result productive people who otherwise could work in factories and attribute towards real increases in Indias GDP, toil in homes doing dishes and cleaning. What a waste of resource !!! Thanks to English language they will never amount to anything.

  3. The economy of South Korea is not dependent on growth in services. The 500 percent difference is result of market forces at work. The demand for english speaking labor by western consumers have driven up the wages of english speaking indians.

  4. Or it just shows that Indian slave mentality is live and kicking. I doubt if a English speaker in another 3rd world country such as Mexico will get 500% more salary just because he knows English. Well, but in India we want coolies who can speak in the master’s language.

    RC is it a practical possibility that an indian can graduate as doctor or an engineer without knowing english?

    IMNHO its not practicaly feasable in india. All institutions of higher learning have english language text books. Often they are american text books(many written by indian americans)

  5. RC is it a practical possibility that an indian can graduate as doctor or an engineer without knowing english?

    You are right about the fact that indian graduate in engineering has to know english. But I think there in is the problem. Unless all K through 12 education in India is in English, the fact that higher education is in English, creates a hindrance in learning. As a result most people dont learn anything in engineering college and are clueless about some of the most basic things that they are supposed to know. (as graduates in a particular engg discipline).

    Since there is a small group of people who learn in English K-12 and are inherently smart, they do well. But the number is so small that India having a Billion plus doesnt mean anything.

    Indian professionals got the highest wage increases in the whole world (somewhere around 13 %)last year, while the economy of India grew at almost half of that rate.

    Basically the miniscule elite group who are these “people with employable English skills”, they are getting the jobs and the raises, the rest are struggling. All that can be pinned on the “burden” of a foreign language that Indians are under.

  6. Or it just shows that Indian slave mentality is live and kicking.

    English is prevalent because of the regional linguistic nationalism (opposite of a slave mentality) that exists in India. There are various regional factions interested in preserving their own languages.

    Trying to preserve a language is fine, but languages don’t exist to be quaint, the primary purpose of language is communication.

    Business generally requires different parties to have a mutually intelligible means of communication, so there is a need for a lingua franca. It just so happens English is percieved as neutral in regards to interregional conflicts with India whereas Hindi is perceived as a sign of northern hindu dominance in some areas.

    But it gets even worse, because as I pointed out earlier, linguistic nationalism in the state education system generally forbids public schools from using English as the language of instruction and decreases class mobility.

    Lack of class mobility means that the economic value of getting an education to poor people is reduced.

    I doubt if a English speaker in another 3rd world country such as Mexico will get 500% more salary just because he knows English.

    In Mexico they get more than a 500% salary increases for knowing Spanish.

    The southern parts of Mexico like Chiapas, where the non-spanish speaking amerindians live, are desperately poor.

  7. Trying to preserve a language is fine, but languages don’t exist to be quaint, the primary purpose of language is communication.

    I dont give a shit about preserving any language. My argument is that shutting out upwards to 80% of people from participating fully in economy by putting hindrance in their way is stupid.

    In Mexico they get more than a 500% salary increases for knowing Spanish.

    The main language of Mexico is Spanish. So I dont understand what is the point of the above statement.

    Mexico has 60% Mestizo population and only 30% Ameri-Indian population. Besides Mexico’s literacy rate is 92% and education is in Spanish !!!! I got this from CIA fact book on Mexico

  8. You are right about the fact that indian graduate in engineering has to know english. But I think there in is the problem. Unless all K through 12 education in India is in English, the fact that higher education is in English, creates a hindrance in learning.

    The population as a whole pushes schools to teach English early The reason is precisely so that the kid can get into a decent college…

    As a result most people dont learn anything in engineering college and are clueless about some of the most basic things that they are supposed to know. (as graduates in a particular engg discipline).

    Some one who doesnÂ’t understand written English wont pass entrance exams for any college(in sciences) so I donÂ’t buy the argument “that most people donÂ’t learn anything in engineering college”. as far as undergrads go Indian schools are graduating competent engineers…

    But I do see the point that a lot of Indians cant learn more skills or get a job if their english comprehension is not good or slow.

  10. In my country I may believe that someone fluent in english may be easier for her or him to get a job, this concerns more with jobs which are service nature, on the other hand, it may be not possible if interview board members do not follow the principles. they may select one they favour. So here it depends, if things are done right on track english may be the difference. that’s all I can say