Abstract:

In the global world of nowadays the English language has become an indispensable tool allowing to overcome communication borders which prevent efficient interaction and cooperation between countries, companies and people. It is the lingua franca for modern business, which means that a decent degree of proficiency in English can no longer be considered an extra competitive advantage but an essential ability needed to succeed. Companies should therefore expect their employees to have English language skills up to a certain level so that they could perform their tasks at work efficiently.

The purpose of the present research is to analyze whether the supply of workforce equipped with the required English language skills in Russia is sufficient to meet employers’ needs and thus to identify the potential for promoting English language learning in the country. The research objectives are as follows: to describe the overall level of English language proficiency in Russia, to estimate employers’ satisfaction with the level of English skills possessed by their employees, to analyze if there is a link between the fundamentals of Russia’s social and economic development and the level of English language skills, and to identify the areas where employees need better English skills.

The paper examines the above issues using such methods as empirical data analysis, descriptive analysis of data, comparative and graphical analyses. The main research findings provide ground for adjusting and improving English language teaching programmes, in particular, in terms of teaching professional English skills, and encouraging English language learning in general to meet the requirements of modern labour market.

Keywords:

Language teaching, English language skills, professional English, labour market.