Vietnam's information technology ( IT) industry is coping with shortage of qualified software engineers, local newspaper Vietnam News reported Monday.

Nearly two-thirds of local software companies are short of skilled employees, partly because local IT training establishments have failed to churn out qualified graduates, and firms in the country have offered lower salaries than those abroad.

Over 200 universities and colleges nationwide annually train thousands of IT students. However, IT firms said few applicants meet their basic entry criteria, and they have to spend at least one year retraining 80-90 percent of recruits.

Meanwhile, many local skilled IT engineers have chosen to work abroad for foreign firms with much higher salaries. IT employees can monthly earn 300 U.S. dollars in the first working year in companies in Vietnam, while their starting salary would be at least 1,500 dollars if they work abroad, said the report.

To deal with the situation, Vietnam is encouraging investment in the IT industry, and improving its training quality in the industry.

According to the country's Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, an IT school funded by South Korea with an annual enrollment of some 1,000 students is due to open by 2007.

Source: Xinhua