Women better than men in English; subordinates beat bosses

In a recent survey of the English proficiency of countries and industries around the world reported by Harvard Business Review, India has scored 58.9 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale. Netherlands tops the list at 73.8, with Iraq at 33.6.
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The survey covered 510,000 professionals across 16 major industries in 40 countries. The respondents worked in 2,000 different companies, with sales ranging from less than $1 billion to more than $60 billion.
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The results are published in the EF English Proficiency Index for Companies, the “the world’s largest ranking of countries by English skills”. 

Highlights

• Women are better at English across countries, industries and jobs
• Managers know better English than their executive bosses
• There are wide gaps among industries
• Midsize companies are more proficient than the giants and the little ones.

​The report laments that not a single country could score an “advanced” C1 or C2 CEFR level. And that “despite a near universal recognition of English as the international language of business, wide gaps in workforce English proficiency persist between countries.”

Recommendations

• Benchmark English proficiency
• Highlight advantage of English proficiency in every job function
• Dedicate resources for English training
• Tailor training to sectors and jobs.

The lack of strong English skills presents an opportunity for forward-thinking business leaders, and yet, as our data shows, many companies are not taking advantage of that competitive edge. Their hesitation to embrace English seems to be reflected even at the very top of the company."