Languages like Mandarin and Arabic are set to be in demand among employers, according to research from specialist language recruiter Euro London Appointments.

The poll of 228 employers found that 37% said exotic languages such as Mandarin and Arabic would grow in demand in the future, particularly in areas such as the financial services sector.

Those organisations with US headquarters said Spanish and French were the most useful. In the import and export arena, Chinese languages were important while Urdu, Filipino and Russian were seen as useful in shipping. Norwegian and Arabic were viewed as valuable in the oil and gas sector.