A political economic analysis of commodified English in South Korean neoliberal labor markets

Abstract

This study examines two contradictions inherent in using English tests for employment by Marx's political economy. English proficiency is quantified by the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC), mandatory for more than 90% of job posts in Korea. Based on the interviews with jobseekers and human resource managers, the paper reports two contradictions of the TOEIC: first, while the jobseekers perceived the score is inessential, they said the exceptionally high score is required; second, while TOEIC scores are meant to reflect English competence, they do not reflect the competence. These two contradictions emerge because the test is sought for exchange value, rather than use value. The jobseekers invest their resources, produce English scores using labor power and means of production, and finally exchange them for a greater profit. The whole process is geared toward producing scores in the shortest time with maximum efficiency, consequently causing score inflation and separation between genuine English proficiency and test scores. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.