Asian language skills more in demand with UK employers after Brexit

Japanese and the Chinese languages are the most lucrative for UK jobseekers, offering average salaries of more than £31,000 for those who can speak them, according to a study.

Research by jobs site Adzuna to mark the anniversary of the Brexit vote uncovered the languages most in demand by UK employers, and how much they are willing to pay for them.

A growing interest in non-European languages was revealed, with Japanese, Chinese, Arabic and Russian all featuring in the UK's top 10 most wanted languages.

German, last year's highest paying language, dropped to fourth place as advertised salaries fell 1.8% to £31,030. But German language skills still promise the most job opportunities, with 8,154 vacancies across the country, up 7.9% on last year.

German remains ahead of French in the league tables, contrary to the traditional preference for Francophone candidates.

The number of jobs requiring Arabic skills have plummeted by almost a third, with just 856 roles currently on offer.

Doug Monro, co-founder of Adzuna, said: "A year on from the shock announcement that Britain would be leaving the EU, employers are contemplating a future outside the EU.

"Last year, a very strong trend for European languages was in evidence. In 2017, however, this has begun to give way to preference for Asian languages, like Japanese and Chinese. Perhaps this is a sign that businesses are looking further afield for growth opportunities."