• Percentage of Americans speaking a language other than English at home: 20%
• Number of U.S. residents who speak Spanish at home: 32.2 million
• Number of U.S. residents who speak Chinese at home: 2.3 million
• Typical salary increase for bilingual workers in customer service jobs: 5-10%
• Number of Hispanic-owned businesses in America, as of 2002 Census: 1.6 million

ESL: Improved Career Prospects

Nearly 35 million Americans speak Spanish or Chinese at home. American companies eager to reach these consumers are investing heavily in ESL training programs in order to bring more native speakers into call centers and customer service operations. Upon completing ESL training, many bilingual customer service representatives earn a premium because of their flexibility and their ability to handle different kinds of customer requests.

The number of Hispanic-owned businesses is growing at a record pace, recently passing the number of Chinese-owned businesses in the United States. These two ethnic groups now account for nearly three million small businesses across the country. English language training can play an important role in their success by leveraging customer service, employee relations, and clear communications with overseas suppliers.