Language learning benefits are a must for Gen Z talent

• Key Insight: Learn how language learning is shifting from hobby to strategic career mobility tool.
• Supporting Data: 90% of Gen Z have worked with colleagues who speak a different first language.
• Forward Look: Expect employers to add language training, certification, and mobility incentives as core benefits.
  Source: Bullets generated by AI with editorial review

The moment 28-year-old Cynthia Aceituno felt like the American political climate was encroaching on her quality of life, she immediately started looking for opportunities to move abroad without sacrificing the career she had been building stateside since finishing college.  

When she shared her feelings with her employer in New York City, where she'd been living and working, they gave her permission to work remotely. All that was left to do was choose when and where to move and decide whether she was making the right call. 

"The vibe wasn't right anymore to stay," Aceituno says. 

Aceituno ended up moving to Barcelona in 2025. Despite already speaking Spanish, she took advantage of her access to Preply, available through her job, to learn Catalan, one of the official languages of Spain. 

"Language is everything," Aceituno says of her decision to utilize Preply, an online education platform and app that connects users with tutors in over 90 languages. "It opens a whole new world of connections, friendships, and opportunities." 

Read more: What is 'benefitmaxxing'? The new Gen Z trend impacting employee benefits

More than a quarter of Gen Z learning another language through Preply currently live abroad or have done so in the past, and another 38% say they would consider it in the future. Career advancement is a leading motivator: 26% cite it as a top reason for learning a new language, more than any other generation. About one in five say they study languages to increase their salary or improve job security, while 13% believe it could help them break into a new field. Nearly half also think speaking a second language would open up job opportunities overseas. 

According to Madeline Enos, language trends expert and communications leader at Preply, these findings will play a pivotal role in organizations' recruiting strategies. 

"We're in a global marketplace with companies that are headquartered all over the world and have remote workers in a variety of countries," Enos says. "People are looking at language learning as a practical tool for career mobility and generating new income streams rather than just a hobby or travel accessory or a very niche kind of career." 

Read more: Flexible work is now a core benefit as burnout and RTO resistance rise

Young talent see language-learning as a workplace issue

Ninety percent of Gen Z have worked with clients or colleagues who speak a different first language, according to Preply's findings. When asked what would make language learning more valuable to their careers, 45% cited clear career pathways linked to language skills. Another 34% want employer-recognized certification, 31% want industry-specific language training and 22% want visa or international mobility assistance. 

While Aceituno says that a lot of her language learning experience, which has consisted mostly of tutoring sessions with a fluent Catalan-speaking tutor, has gone towards improving her social life, like helping her make friends and integrate culturally, it has also drastically changed her outlook on her professional future, too.  

"All these new things really kind of put more perspective on what matters to me and how I want to live my life daily — and work is part of my daily life," she says. "I need to be able to work from wherever I need to work, I need to not have to hop on to meetings every single day and I need to be able to speak professionally and communicate clearly with whoever is in charge." 

Building a successful education benefit to retain Gen Z

Employers can better support global workforce development by incentivizing language learning and investing in educational platforms that offer certifications and industry-specific training, Enos says. Personalized second-language coaching and tutoring platforms like Preply help professionals build the exact vocabulary, cultural understanding, and communication skills needed in their fields. Preply's one-on-one online tutoring sessions can tailor lessons to each learner's goals and provide targeted feedback, going beyond textbook or app learning by integrating language with cultural context. This is not only essential to ensuring that young talent is thriving in every workplace environment, but retaining that talent as they do so. 

Read more: A thoughtful approach to recruitment of Gen Z

"If you're looking to build and retain a top notch global workforce that can operate in multiple markets and stay with you long term those are the things you should be doing," Enos says. "Offer the flexibility and offer it as a benefit."

In just under a year, Aceituno has used the support and flexibility she was afforded to start a new, successful life for herself both personally and professionally — and she's willing to make the change permanent.  

"I definitely would love to live here long-term," Aceituno says. "I'm looking forward to traveling to other places [for work and life], but I think home is here in Barcelona."