“Second Language Listening Demands for Work and Learning in a Changing World”

Listening was previously listed by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as an important skill for the workforce. However, it no longer appeared in the recent listings of 2020, 2025 and 2030. Regardless, listening remains an important skill that is implicit in communication needed for other skills that have emerged for 2025, such as leadership and social influence, and reasoning and problem solving. Yet, listening, especially in a second or foreign language, can be a challenge for many people. In this paper, I adopt a systems model of listening to explain the key factors that affect listening and explain how these interdependent components work together to influence listening comprehension and development. It is framed by theoretical perspectives on listening as a skill which together with a systems model of listening can inform language educators’ planning of a listening curriculum and designing of learning tasks to improve listening performance for work and learning.