This article examines whether bilingualism has an economic value in Slovenia’s two ethnically mixed regions, or whether its value is more linked to identity, and limited essentially to the personal, educational and cultural spheres. Specifically, it asks whether bilingualism is recompensed on the labour market and what local people think about this matter. The two regions of the country that are officially bilingual are proposed, with a focus on minority rights, language planning and education policy. In handling the central question of the article, the situation in both the public and private sectors is explored to see whether bilingual language skills play a role during recruitment processes and whether those who function bilingually in the work environment are financially remunerated. In addition, the opinions of bilingual speakers concerning the value of the minority language in their areas are also examined. A picture of ruling attitudes towards the economic value of bilingualism and foreign language knowledge is acquired from a survey of the views of leading managers in companies based in Slovenia. Empirical data are also proposed as to which languages are endorsed by individuals and companies investing in informal language learning or training.