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The importance of foreign language skills in the labour markets of Central and Eastern Europe: assessment based on data from online job portals

Author

Listed:
  • Brian Fabo

    (Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)
    Central European University
    CentERdata)

  • Miroslav Beblavý

    (Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS))

  • Karolien Lenaerts

    (Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS))

Abstract

This paper investigates the role of foreign language skills in the Visegrad Four countries’ labour markets using data obtained from key online vacancy boards in these countries and from an online wage survey. Firstly, it considers the demand for language skills based on vacancies and then builds on this information by analysing the wage premium associated with foreign language skills on the occupation and individual level. The results indicate that English language knowledge is highly in demand in the Visegrad region, followed by the command of German language. Particularly, English proficiency appears to be correlated with higher wages, when controlled for common wage determinants in a regression.

Suggested Citation

  • Brian Fabo & Miroslav Beblavý & Karolien Lenaerts, 2017. "The importance of foreign language skills in the labour markets of Central and Eastern Europe: assessment based on data from online job portals," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 44(3), pages 487-508, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:empiri:v:44:y:2017:i:3:d:10.1007_s10663-017-9374-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s10663-017-9374-6
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    Cited by:

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    3. Antonio Paolo & Aysit Tansel, 2019. "English skills, labour market status and earnings of Turkish women," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 46(4), pages 669-690, November.
    4. Antonio Di Paolo & Aysit Tansel, 2019. "“English skills, labour market status and earnings of Turkish women”," AQR Working Papers 201901, University of Barcelona, Regional Quantitative Analysis Group, revised Jan 2019.
    5. Wang, Zhiling & de Graaff, Thomas & Nijkamp, Peter, 2017. "Look Who’s Talking: On the Heterogeneous Returns to Foreign Language Use at Work among Natives and Migrants in Europe," GLO Discussion Paper Series 104, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    6. Jan Drahokoupil & Brian Fabo, 2019. "The limits of foreign-led growth: Demand for digital skills by foreign and domestic firms in Slovakia," Working and Discussion Papers WP 7/2019, Research Department, National Bank of Slovakia.
    7. Sandra M. Leitner & Oliver Reiter, 2020. "Employers’ Skills Requirements in the Austrian Labour Market: On the Relative Importance of ICT, Cognitive and Non-cognitive Skills over the Past 15 Years," wiiw Working Papers 190, The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, wiiw.
    8. Astghik Mavisakalyan, 2017. "Returns to language skills in transition economies," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 416-416, December.
    9. Brian Fabo, 2020. "The English and Russian Language Proficiency Premium in the post-Maidan Ukraine – an Analysis of Web Survey Data," Discussion Papers 57, Central European Labour Studies Institute (CELSI).
    10. Michele Gazzola & Daniele Mazzacani, 2019. "Foreign language skills and employment status of European natives: evidence from Germany, Italy and Spain," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 46(4), pages 713-740, November.
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    12. Zhiling Wang & Thomas de Graaff & Peter Nijkamp, 2023. "Differences in Heterogeneous Returns to Foreign Language Use at Work Among Natives and Migrants in Europe," Romanian Journal of Regional Science, Romanian Regional Science Association, vol. 17(1), pages 1-37, June.
    13. Zhou, Yonghong & Zhu, Rong & Zheng, Xian, 2020. "Second language skills and labor market outcomes: Evidence from the handover of Hong Kong," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Wage premium; Foreign language skills; Vacancy data; Web data;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J2 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor
    • C8 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Data Collection and Data Estimation Methodology; Computer Programs

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