A new study has found that bilingual children of immigrants in the US could expect to earn between $2,000 and $5,000 more annually than children who speak only English.

The research, published jointly by the Civil Rights Project at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Educational Testing Services found that those adept at two languages, or “balanced bilinguals”, also had a greater chance of pursuing higher education and more highly-paid jobs.

The study concluded that

bilingualism among the children of immigrants in the United States represents a previously untapped national resource.

In November 2014 a study by the University of Cambridge showed that children who speak more than one language have an advantage over their monolingual playmates when it comes to communication, understanding and social interaction.