Wanted: skilled workers speaking in tongues

Demand for multilingual professionals is higher than ever - and the government must do more to keep them

Karen O’Flaherty: students should be encouraged to study a second language

One of the key employment trends of 2015 has been the rise of Ireland’s increasingly globalised and multilingual workforce.

There are currently more than 30 internationally recognised languages spoken among the multilingual population here, with almost double that in indigenous regional and minority dialects.

This year, the requirement for professionals with more than one language has been the highest ever recorded by Morgan McKinley’s monthly Employment Monitor, with German the most in demand, ...