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Significant growth in Omaha's Limited English Proficient workforce

A new report says Omaha’s Limited English Proficient workforce grew 95 percent from 2000 to 2012.

The Brookings Institution report looked at the Limited English Proficient working population in 89 metro areas. It found that nationwide, about one in ten people of working age speak limited English.

Jill Wilson, Senior Research Fellow for Brookings and the report’s author, says limited English-speaking workers have lower productivity and wages.

"Those who lack English proficiency earn lower wages and thereby contribute less to the local tax base and consumer spending. And it also affects their children in terms of the involvement they can have in their children's lives and the academic and economic outcomes for their children."

According to the report, 65 percent of the Limited English Proficient population in Omaha speaks Spanish. More than 18 percent speak Asian and Pacific Island Languages. Wilson says the workers with limited English skills are concentrated in six industries, including manufacturing, construction, and health/social services.

Wilson suggests more public and private investment in programs teaching English to workers.