Besides French, foreign languages such as English, German and Spanish are more than welcome in France. However, this year saw a significant rise in the demand for many other foreign languages, including Asian languages, in various fields having international business ties with France.
Italian
Being France's 3rd major partner in trade, Italy accounts for 7.1% of exchanges following Germany and Belgium. Italian is therefore the 4th most sought-after language in France with a 11% rise over the past two years for a total of 11,546 job offers in France. For those having a good command of Italian, there are career prospects in business, finance, accounting, etc. Also, why not try your luck as an executive secretary?
Arabic
Spoken by over 295 million people worldwide, Arabic is the 5th most sought-after language in France with a 1.3% increase in the demande over the past two years. Arabic is definitely a plus for those looking for opportunities in retail, commerce, business development or as social and educational workers. Over six thousand job offers in France mentionned Arabic as a language prerequisite. It's worth noting that 5% of the total number of job offers were addressed to sales managers. Also, Arabic-speaking people are more likely to bag a permanent contract. Did you know that Arabic has been defined as a “language of the future” by the British Council?
Dutch
Since the Netherlands is one of France's major trade partners, Dutch is obviously another sought-after language in the country. Over the past two years, there has been a 1.2% rise in the demand for Dutch as a foreign language. So if you are fluent in Dutch and are looking to work in trade, logistics, or information and communication technology, your Dutch language skills will be a plus.
Chinese
Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world with over 955 million native speakers – which probably explains the 3.7% rise in the demand in France from 2015 to 2017 since China has become its 6th major trade partner. Chinese is a plus for those looking to for sale and retail buyer positions, as well as in business development.
Portuguese
Identitified by the UNESCO as being one of the world's fastest growing languages, Portuguese is spoken by around 215 million people, hence not only in Portugal. Portuguese-speaking professionals are more likely to be hired in the fields of business and accounting. What about teaching Portuguese in France?
Russian
In 2017, Russia was France's 10th major trade partner, which probably explains the 2.5% rise in the demand for Russian in job offers in France. Russian is spoken by over 280 million around the world and if you're one of them, you're more likely to be hired in trade, retail, and logistics.
Japanese
It seems that Chinese is not the only sought-after East Asian language in France. The demand for Japanese as a foreign language has known a 4.1% rise over the past two years with most offers in catering, especially for cooks and catering staff. For those with a good command of Japanese, opportunities also exist in trade and retail.
Polish
You are perhaps not aware that Polish is a much sought-after language in France. There has even been a 11% increase in the demand in the past two years. Expats coming from Poland or simply having learned the language can try their luck in the fields of trade, export, logistics, not to mention translation.
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