The meaning of language skills for career mobility in the new career landscape

Sami Itani, Maria Järlström and Rebecca Piekkari

Journal of World Business, 2015, vol. 50, issue 2, 368-378

Abstract: The present paper establishes a relationship between language skills and career mobility. Due to increased internationalization, reduced job security, and a shift in career ownership to the individual, language skills represent a key career competence today. Using qualitative and quantitative data collected with a survey in Finland, we uncovered multiple career-related meanings for language skills. Language skills permeated the basic components of career competence – “knowing how,” “knowing why,” and “knowing whom” – and enabled respondents to cross boundaries. The respondents who possessed the best language skills also demonstrated the highest levels of both psychological and physical career mobility.

Keywords: Language skills; Careers; Career competences; Physical mobility; Psychological mobility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:worbus:v:50:y:2015:i:2:p:368-378

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DOI: 10.1016/j.jwb.2014.08.003

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