With the growth of the European Union and increased globalisation, English is increasingly the lingua franc a  in European businesses, and those who speak it have become the elite  of the workforce. In the past, only a few specialists in a company were needed to communicate with foreign businesses.However, in these days of multinational companies, where workers are required to communicate with other employees from several countries, a common language is essential and English has become the logical choice. Nowadays, even blue-collar workers in many companies are required to speak English.For example, just over three years ago, a Dutch company.United Pan-European Communications (UPC), was contracted to build a TV studio in Amsterdam.The job involved many electricians--more than the company could find in the Netherlands.There were plenty of qualified electricians in nearby France and Belgium, but the American and Dutch executives of UPC wanted everyone on the job to speak and understand the same language.So, the UPC hired British electricians and flew them to Amsterdam every Monday, accommodating them in hotels all over the city, and flying them home on Friday evenings. Increasingly, workers who can speak English earn salaries 25-35% higher than those who can' t.They are also eligible   for a wider range of high-level jobs. The problem is that, while the ability to speak English is fast becoming essential for getting a good job, there is a shortage of people who can speak it.According to a recent European Commission report, only about 41% of continental Europeans can speak English, and only 29% speak it well enough to carry on a conversation.Many companies are solving this problem by setting up English language schools within the workplace.English language schools all over Europe are expanding at a huge rate, and governments are looking at ways to improve English tuition in schools. One result of this modem urge to learn English is that a generation gap is appearing. According to a European Union study, 67% of Europeans between 15 and 24 say they can speak English while only 18% of those over 55 say they can.Increasingly, all over Europe, it is the children who are leading the parents. In European companies, workers who speak English    _   .
find it easy to carry on a conversation have an advantage over other workers must be white-collar workers travel to many different countries