Spanish language training may not be on your radar right now, but it should be. That’s true for both ambitious professionals and for HR leaders who are considering what skills their company’s workforce needs. Learning Spanish can be a great life skill to have, not just for a job! Here are just a few of the reasons that learning Spanish pays off.
1. The Number of U.S. Spanish Speakers is Growing…
By 2060, the U.S. will have more Spanish speakers than any other country except Mexico. This signals that companies doing business in the U.S. need more workers skilled in Spanish. Learning Spanish can be helpful especially in states like Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona that are close to the Mexican border.
2. …And So Is the U.S. Hispanic Population
Currently, about 17.8 percent of the total U.S. population is of Hispanic origin. That’s 57.5 million people, with $1.7 trillion in purchasing power. By 2060, that number will grow to 28.6 percent.
We do want to note, though, that not everyone in the U.S. who is of Hispanic origin speaks Spanish, and that many, many U.S. Spanish speakers are also proficient in English and use it outside the home. But we still see Spanish fluency as a powerful way to connect with your customers and clients who know the language.
Teachers, company leaders, and customer-facing roles can certainly benefit from speaking both English and Spanish.
3. Spanish is Widely Used Globally
We’ve talked about how important Spanish skills are for doing business in the U.S. Now let’s look at the global picture. Only Mandarin Chinese has more native speakers around the world than Spanish does. By 2050, 754 million people globally will speak Spanish.
Spanish is the official language of 20 countries. And some of those countries have been identified as among the best for global expansion and the best for business overall. Learning Spanish can be a fun way to connect with people from a different culture or background, and it can be a fun activity to learn alongside friends or family.
4. Opportunities in Mexico are Growing
As a Texas-based business, we pay special attention to the state of the economy in Mexico, and we see numerous promising signs about doing business there. For example, Mexico is expected to be the No. 7 economy in the world by 2050.
Overall, we believe Spanish language training benefits individuals and companies in a myriad of ways. Spanish fluency can facilitate collaboration between colleagues; show employees that company leaders care about them; build trust with customers, clients, and communities; and help HR leaders better serve diverse workforces.
Ready to learn more about Spanish language training? At Fluency Corp, we offer Spanish classes both onsite at your company and live online. Get your whole team together and learn Spanish with lessons tailored to your industry! All instructors are native Spanish speakers. Contact us for a free consultation: getfluent@fluencycorp.com or (800) 401-3159.
