In South Africa, the dominant language of business, education and government is English yet
less than half of all working age Africans are considered proficient in English. The majority of
working age (15-65 years) Africans are either economically inactive or unemployed. Few studies
have examined the effect language proficiency has on labour market outcomes. Using data from
the 2008 National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) this article finds a significant positive effect of
English language proficiency on female labour market participation and employment but not for
men. For both males and females, notably more individuals who are proficient in English occupy
higher-level, managerial positions compared to those who are not proficient.