The Globalisation of Labour Markets: A Content Analy sis of the Demand for Transnational Human Capital in Job Advertisements

Abstract

This article analyses how globalisation has affected the demand for transnational human capital (foreign language skills, cross-cultural competence, knowledge about other countries and international experiences) over time, across levels of qualification, professional fields and countries. A content analysis of job advertisements in German and Dutch newspapers, as well as Eurobarometer survey data, shows that the demand for transnational human capital, especially in the form of foreign language skills, has increased in recent decades, with that demand being most pronounced among high‐skilled jobs in the service sector. Moreover, there are significant national differences in the importance of transnational human capital, determined by a country’s level of globalisation and the global diffusion of its official language. Our study shows, however, that there are methodological limits to the content analysis of job postings for determining labour market demand, especially when specific skills and qualifications, e.g. English language skills, are increasingly taken for granted.