Authors: Salomi Rohit Almeida, Pritama Devi
Abstract: English proficiency in the multi-lingual labour market in India frequently serves as both a signalling device (employers use it to filter job applicants by excluding those who are not ready to work) and a productivity skill (because it allows communication, documentation, and coordination n.b. it is also an important predictor of educational attainment). The evidence synthesized in this research paper on the relationship between the English language proficiency and the employability outcomes in India, including the employment access, wage returns, job mobility, workplace and career progression, is based on peer-reviewed economic and education research, and the skills-system and employer-facing reports. The review has strong evidence of an English premium in earnings and jobs with heterogeneity across age cohort, education, gender, geography and sector. Meanwhile, unequal access to quality instruction in the English language, along with limited room to practice, also lead to the development of skill gaps, especially among rural youth and the first generation learners. Based on the literature review, the paper will support a piece of conceptual mechanism framework through which English proficiency is associated with employability through (i) human capital (task performance), (ii) labour-market signalling (screening), (iii) social capital and networks and (iv) mobility to higher-productivity sectors. There is a narrative review approach in the presence of clear inclusion criteria and thematic synthesis. The paper is summarized with some practical implications to higher education, vocational skilling, and workplace training: make English-to-workplace communication part of domain learning, differentiate instruction to occupational standards, and make provision of disadvantaged learners through an integrated, practice-based training with testing and evaluation.
