Employment Trends

A selection of business English discussion questions.

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  1. In many countries there has been an increase in hourly paid employment. Why do you think that is?
  2. Would you prefer to be paid by the hour or paid a fixed salary? Why?
  3. Why do some people choose to work part time? Would this suit you?
  4. What is the ideal number of hours a person should work every week? Are you happy with your hours?
  5. What is the unemployment rate in your country right now? Is it increasing or decreasing?
  6. What is the best thing a government can do to keep unemployment low in your opinion?
  7. In certain countries like the UK, there are fewer manufacturing jobs than in the past. Why is this?
  8. Are there any jobs that you think will not exist in 20 years' time? What are they?
  9. Can you think of any new professions that will be created in the near future?
  10. What did your parents and grandparents do for a living? How is it different to what you are doing now?
  11. What impact has migrant labour had on your country in recent years? Would you like to see more or less in future?
  12. Is self-employment on the increase in your country? Does it appeal to you?
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Business Topics

Advertising, Brands, Building Relationships, Change, Communication, Competition, Consultants, Crisis Management, Cultures, Customer Service, Employment Trends, Ethics, First Impressions, Human Resources, International Marketing, International Markets, Job Satisfaction, Leadership, Management Styles, Marketing, Mergers and Acquisitions, Money, New Business, Online Business, Organisation, Project Management, Raising Finance, Risk, Strategy, Success, Team Building, Training, Travel.


Grammar Topics

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How to use the employment trends ESL discussion questions

It is recommended that you download the employment trends ESL discussion questions in PDF format using one of the links above. The best way to encourage classroom interaction is to download and print the employment trends discussion questions in the 'pairs' or 'threes' PDF format and then divide the questions by cutting along the dotted lines. This allows students to take turns asking and answering the employment trends discussion questions in groups of two or three. Alternatively, you could use the 'cards' format to distribute the questions to any number of students to ask and share.

It is advisable to prepare students for using these discussion questions by first introducing them to the topic of employment trends in an interesting and engaging way. An anecdote, quiz question or a related image or video could all be used to achieve this. Depending on the level, it may also be necessary to pre-teach any challenging vocabulary related to employment trends contained in the discussion questions.

For more ESL discussion questions, see this site's main page. There are discussion questions on a range of topics including general, grammar and business English topics.

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