Language learning can keep Florida’s future bright

An average of 1,200 people move to Florida every day, with many joining us in search of high-income jobs and promising careers., Companies of all sizes also continue to consider Florida for a new home, drawn by both the sunshine and the prospects of a bright future.

Does our growing workforce today feel the sunny forecast for the jobs of tomorrow? A Pearson study of Floridians learning English found a future with some rays of light but also some clouds of uncertainty on the horizon.

People are seeking to glow up their careers with skills development, hoping to “AI-proof ” their future. Many Floridians — including 52% of Baby Boomers but even 38% of Gen Z responders — say they’re studying English to prepare for a new role in case artificial intelligence takes their job.

37% of people who came from another country are working at a job they consider lower-status than what they left at home. Lack of English fluency is seen as the main reason highly skilled professionals cannot achieve their full potential.

There’s a lot of daylight between what Florida employees want and what companies are providing, though. While 90% of respondents say on-the-job training of language skills are important, just 31% say their jobs offer anything like that today. Bilingual/multilingual employees can be a differentiator, but it is one that can only be realized by investing in fluency.

We saw the crypto bubble burst, and we’re at a risk of AI similarly raining on our parade if we don’t commit as a state to the kind of language fluency training that will give Floridians the skills to succeed in a workplace reshaped by AI.

Florida is a state with unique diversity and has become a global hotspot — but the lingua franca for global business is indisputably still English. Whether the future is one of the sun rising or setting for Florida depends on our commitment here and now to core skills.

To accomplish that, Florida business leaders, entrepreneurs and decision makers must commit to a few improvements.

We must commit to supporting language learning in ways that advance beyond the rudimentary levels taught in many schools and focus on the needs of “future-proof ” jobs. It’s time to encourage and reward the pursuit of fluency, which improve both work-life balance and in-office efficiency. And public and private resources should be invested in language learning that incorporates the learning habits of the generation entering the workforce, including supporting self-paced learning programs that regularly incorporate assessing and rewarding progress.

For me, the idea of working in English as a second language isn’t just a theory. Like many here in the Sunshine State it has been my life’s journey. I know firsthand the benefits as well as the challenges in coming to Florida to work in English as a second language, as well as having it be a way to grow and prosper personally and professionally. Let’s all dedicate to helping make the American dream a reality and Florida’s future to continue to shine.