New analysis by staffing agency Randstad Spain reveals that 75% of so-called 'senior appointments' in Spain require candidates to be able to speak at least one foreign language.

The ability to speak English increases the likelihood of being hired into a senior position by +44%.

Most companies require candidates for senior positions to speak English, followed by French and German but the ability to speak Chinese is also increasingly becoming a requirement.

Positions in which foreign languages are particularly in demand are in the technical engineering sector, banking and finance as well as international law and sales and marketing.

Randstad also highlights that, according to Eurostat, Spain ranks fourth on the list of European Union countries where the ability to speak a foreign language is most uncommon. 46.6% of Spaniards speak no foreign language whatsoever. Only Romania and Hungary (both 75%) and Portugal (51%) have a larger percentage of inhabitants, who have no foreign language capabilities.