Is Bilingualism Still Relevant in Canada? The Globe & Mail

Jeff Aplin, President of David Aplin Group, reports to the Globe and Mail on the relevance of bilingualism in the Canadian workplace. 
Bilingualism in the Workplace
Being bilingual is still considered a competitive edge in Canada’s job market, but where French was once the undisputed second language of choice among employers, others are gaining ground.
Some 84 per cent of Canadians believe speaking French and English offers a better chance of finding a good job, says a 2006 survey by the Commissioner of Official Languages. Some 89 per cent think those with any two languages will have more success “in today’s global economy.”
Although nearly 2.8-million Canadians said in the last census they use more than one language at work, most Canadian jobs outside the public service still don’t require bilingual fluency, said Jeff Aplin, president of the national recruiting firm David Aplin Group. But more and more, standing out from other applicants comes down to “soft skills,” where languages rate highly.
“Employers want to hire people that are creative in their thinking and in their work,” Mr. Aplin said…
Read the rest of this article on The Globe & Mail
Written by Tamara Baluja and James Bradshaw