Local employees in the information technology (IT) sector will earn much higher salaries if they have a good command of foreign languages, according to survey results of job recruitment websites VietnamWorks and TopITworks.

The two websites under Navigos Group Vietnam JSC have released a report on mid-year salaries for IT workers on the occasion of TechExpo 2017 slated for late this month. The report is based on survey results of more than 800 local IT employees.

The report stresses the wage gaps between employees of technological applications and those of programming languages. Those involving in SaaS (software as a service) earn the highest salaries, while those designing embedded systems come second, followed by website programmers.

Meanwhile, developers specializing in C++ programs have their salaries around 10% higher than those skillful in Java.

A Navigos representative said the average salaries of employees specializing in C++, Java, embedded systems, and games are US$1,173, US$1,074, US$1,146, and US$942 a month.

According to the report, IT workers who have a good command of foreign languages like Japanese and English have their respective salaries 40% and 48% higher than those at lower levels.

In terms of the quality of IT candidates, some companies said they are facing a shortage of employees at all levels, including the positions for fresh graduates.

They pointed out candidates whose language skills do not meet their requirements often fail in one-on-one interviews, while their new employees who are weak at soft skills and languages will receive further training from enterprises when recruited.

SGT