Benefits of French Immersion

The benefits of personal bilingualism

 The cognitive benefits of bilingualism are well-established.[1] For example, it has been shown that, compared to their monolingual peers, bilingual children are better able to focus their attention on relevant information and ignore irrelevant distractions.[2],[3] Other research has shown that the effects of aging on the brain are diminished among bilingual adults.[4]

Developing communicative competence in both of the official languages of Canada offers returns to the investment involved that go well beyond the normal ones that individuals expect. Not only does the individual him/herself benefit but the society as a whole and the political economy that is the product of that society benefit as well. In short, a more vibrant democracy with stronger webs of social affiliation is constructed. —Harold Chorney, Dept of Political Science, Concordia University

In addition to cognitive benefits, bilingualism can also confer economic advantages. In Canada, French/English bilingualism in particular carries important economic advantages for individuals who speak both official languages.
According to the 2006 Canadian census, employment rates are higher for French/English bilinguals than for French or English monolinguals (see Figure1).

Across Canada, knowledge of both official languages represents a greater advantage in some geographic areas than in others. According to the 2006 census, the bilingual advantage is especially prevalent in cities such as Montreal (where the employment rate is 13 percentage points higher for bilinguals than for monolingual Francophones). There is a lower but still considerable advantage in cities like Toronto and Vancouver (see Figure 2).

Figure 1: Employment rates for the population aged 15 and over. Source: 2006 Canadian census – 20% Sample Data

Figure 2: Employment rates for the population aged 15 and over. Source: 2006 Canadian census – 20% Sample Data

The bilingual advantage appears to extend to individual income. According to the 2001 Canadian census, people who speak both official languages had a median income ($24,974) that was nearly 10% higher than that of those who speak English only ($22,987) and 40% higher than that of those who speak French only ($17,659). Similar gaps remain after controlling for individual characteristics such as educational attainment and work experience.[5],[6]

The bilingualism premium varies as a function of factors such as place of residence, gender, and work sector. [7] The bilingual advantage is greatest in Quebec and Ontario and absent in other provinces (see Figure 3).[8] In 2001, personal incomes for bilingual Quebecers were $8,000 to $10,000 higher than for their monolingual counterparts. Bilingual Ontarians earned an average of nearly $4,000 more than monolingual Anglophones.

Figure 3: Mean income by knowledge of official languages, 2001 Source: 2001 Canadian census (adapted from Jedwab, 2003)

The bilingual premium is slightly larger for women than for men. It is also larger for workers in the public sector than in the private sector, and larger in goods-producing sectors such as manufacturing, transportation and utilities compared than in the finance, services and trades sectors. [9]

Awareness of the benefits of bilingualism among Canadians

Surveys of students, parents and employers indicate that many Canadians are aware of the economic benefits of bilingualism.

A recent nation-wide survey of more than 4,400 12- to 30-year-olds suggests that young people believe that improved employment opportunities are the greatest advantage of having a working knowledge of both official languages.[10] Similarly, many graduates of French immersion programs report that French has been an asset in finding employment. For example, on a survey of French immersion graduates in Saskatchewan, 53% of the graduates report that their knowledge of French has helped them get a job.[11]

Parents also cite employability as one of the main reasons they value bilingualism for their children. According to the 2007 Survey of Canadian Attitudes toward Learning (SCAL), nearly 60% of parents who have enrolled their children in language-immersion programs report that their reasons for doing so include increased job opportunities.[12]

From an employer’s perspective, bilingualism among employees is seen as an asset. A recent web survey of 133 Canadian business leaders revealed that more than half (55%) believe that fluently bilingual job seekers are more employable than their monolingual counterparts.[13] Many occupations in business and administration, tourism, sports and recreation, and in sales and services identify bilingualism as a definite asset for job candidates.[14]

The growing number of occupations listing bilingualism as an asset has lead to the development of websites dedicated to helping Canadian employers find bilingual candidates.[15],[16] A survey of 63 Canadian companies (representing over 156,000 employees) across the country revealed that 84% of employers consider knowledge of English and French to be an asset or said that they give preference to English/French bilinguals.[17]

Taken from Lessons in Learning: Parlez-Vous francais ? The Advantages of Bilingualism in Canada. October 16 2008. See the full article at:

http://www.ccl-cca.ca/CCL/Reports/LessonsInLearning/LinL20081016Bilingualism.htm