Eight out of 10 salaried workers think they are underpaid because of their poor English skills, a survey shows. In the survey of 1,465 employed workers by a jobs website, 89.9 percent of respondents said that if they had a better command of English, they would be better paid. They believe their poor English skills are costing them some W11.8 million a year in reduced salaries (US$1=W1,171).

Some 79.1 percent of respondents said they perceived English as an obstacle to their career. Asked about when it posed an obstacle, 53.8 percent said when their English skills limited their job selection or transfer opportunities, followed by when they felt insecure and timid because of their English language abilities (47.6 percent); when they were unable to say something in English when they needed to at work (45.5 percent); when they saw friends starting careers at large companies (33.6 percent); when they saw co-workers taking charge of important duties only because of their superior English (23.0 percent); and when they were not promoted because of their English skills (18.9 percent).

When asked to rank what they would do if they had a better command of English, most chose transferring to a larger firm (54.4 percent), followed by working in another field (20.4 percent), negotiating their salary (13.3 percent), and leaving the company to open their own business (7.8 percent).