People who speak English earn higher salaries than those who do not, says a new survey.
It pays to speak English well, literally.
So says a new survey. The eight-country survey shows speakers of English can earn as much as three times the salary of non-English speakers in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The language is also vital for the flow of direct foreign investment (FDI) into a country.
English can be a funny language at times, where a "fat chance" is the same as "slim chance". But difficulties in grasping the language for foreign tongues has not dimmed its popularity. It is the third-most popular language in the world and is spoken in 112 countries.
But when it comes to wages and the economy, knowledge of the language can make a difference, according to the survey, which was conducted by Euromonitor International and commissioned by the British Council.
The salary gap between those who speak English, and those who do not, vary from 5 per cent in Tunisia to 75 per cent in Egypt - and even 200 per cent for some workers in Baghdad.
People from Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia and Yemen participated in the survey.
Due to the colonial histories of these countries, French remains the key business language in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, and is spoken by around 30 per cent of the population in Lebanon. In Iraqi Kurdistan, Kurdish is the main language, while Arabic dominates in many parts of Jordan and Yemen.
Fluency in English also translates to more FDI from English-speaking countries.
Among the surveyed countries, Egypt had the highest percentage of investment from English-speaking countries such as the US and the UK. In 2011, Egypt attracted 57.4 per cent of its total FDI from these countries. Egypt was followed by Jordan and Lebanon.
Still, investment from English-speaking countries lags behind funding from France and other European countries in French-speaking Maghreb countries such as Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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