Hiring Foreign Nationals? Invest in Language Training

At Fluency Corp, we keep a close eye on trends in global mobility. So we were very intrigued by the recent 2023 Immigration Trends Report by Envoy Global, a service that assists companies with managing work visas for their employees. You can check out the full report here, but we want to highlight a few key findings that are particularly relevant to corporate language training.

Foreign Workers Are in Demand

Layoffs have been big news in 2023. Now you might think that this means U.S. companies aren’t hiring as many foreign employees. But that’s not the case. According to the Envoy Global report, these workers are still highly sought after by U.S. companies.

In fact, 87% of employers say they’re recruiting foreign nationals for jobs in the U.S. And more than two-thirds (71%) of those companies said they did more such recruiting in Q1 of 2023 than they did in the same time period last year.

Foreign workers weren’t immune to layoffs. But many of them who did lose their jobs weren’t out of work for long. Almost 90% of companies in the Envoy Global survey said they had hired a laid-off foreign national.

Immigration Challenges Affect Companies

While hiring of foreign nationals is already strong, companies wish they could make it even stronger. According to the Envoy Global survey, 94% said immigration barriers in the U.S. keep them from hiring as many foreign nationals as they would like to.

Immigration barriers affect companies in other ways as well. Among companies responding to the Envoy Global survey, about 80% said they were transferring foreign nationals to offices outside the U.S. due to visa-related issues.

The top destination countries for these employees are Canada, Mexico, the UK, Germany and Australia. Additionally, visa concerns led 86% of companies to hire globally for roles they had originally planned to be based in the U.S.

What These Findings Mean for Language Training

The Envoy Global report shows clearly that U.S. companies are eager to tap into talents of foreign nationals. But, as we’ve seen through our own experiences with top global organizations, doing this successfully requires investing in language training to support international employees. Language training pays off in a number of ways:

  • It helps the foreign nationals that you hire contribute to their fullest potential. Uncertainty about their language skills can keep your international employees from speaking up at work.
  • It facilitates collaboration between employees of different language backgrounds. Language training helps cut down on misunderstandings and miscommunications.
  • It reduces the risk that international relocations will fail. Language training helps foreign nationals feel more connected both at work and in their lives outside of work.
  • With intense competition for top global talent, language training can be a valuable recruiting tool.

Fluency Corp Language Training

At Fluency Corp, we have a strong track record of helping companies support their foreign hires through language training. You can hear from our clients in their own words on our testimonials page.

We also invite you to learn more about how both our online and on-site language training programs work so that you can get a sense of what might be the best fit for your team members.

No matter which option you choose, know that your employees will be working with experienced, native-speaker instructors who will laser-focus their instructional material based on your employees’ needs.

Ready to learn more? Set up a free consultation with Fluency Corp by contacting us at getfluent@fluencycorp.com or (800) 401-3159.

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