Falling English proficiency shuts doors to overseas jobs

Experts flag growing concern in education and workforce readiness.

Filipinos are starting to lose out on jobs abroad and in high-paying global industries as educators warn that declining English proficiency and persistent learning setbacks are beginning to hurt employability.

Speaking during the British Council’s instruction assessment panel, education and language experts said weak reading comprehension and communication skills are becoming a growing disadvantage in sectors where English remains a core requirement, including healthcare, business process outsourcing, aviation, hospitality, and international services.

The concern comes as studies continue to show alarming literacy trends among Filipino learners. Results from the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) found that 76% of Filipino students fall below the minimum level of reading proficiency. EDCOM 2 also reported that nearly half of Filipino learners are already behind in reading by Grade 3, with academic setbacks worsening further by age 15.

Stakeholders pointed to structural problems in how English is taught in schools. A 2024 British Council-National Teachers College study found that many students are trained to read and write English before becoming comfortable speaking or understanding it naturally.

The issue also extends to educators themselves, as the same study found that most surveyed teachers scored below the Common European Framework of Reference B2 benchmark for reading proficiency, a level considered upper-intermediate.

Citing one case, British Council Business Development manager Mike Cabigon said an international recruitment effort for Filipino nurses reportedly began looking to other countries after many applicants failed to meet English language requirements.

Educators said rebuilding the country’s edge will require earlier reading intervention, stronger classroom focus on spoken English, and better language training for teachers—warning that without those changes, Filipino workers could continue losing ground in industries where communication skills often decide who gets hired.

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