Rebecca Wheater, Research
Director and Rachel Classick, Research Manager at
NFER
In December 2024, NFER published the
Survey of Adult Skills 2023 (PIAAC) national report for England, which found that young adults' literacy and numeracy
scores had improved significantly since 2012, when they were
among the lowest performers
internationally.
This blog reports on
additional analysis which compares skill levels of
16–24-year-olds in 2012 with those of 25-34 years old in 2023, to
determine skills gain and whether any groups have fallen behind
and evaluate how this cohort measures up against their
international counterparts.
Key
Highlights:
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Young adults in England have
seen greater skill
improvements in
their post-compulsory education and early careers
compared to their peers in
other countries.
-
-
The
gap between highest and
lowest achievers in literacy and numeracy remains statistically
unchanged since
2012.
-
-
The
proportion of young adults
with low numeracy skills has dropped
from 26 per cent in 2012 to 15 per
cent in 2023.
-
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Both men and women have
significantly higher literacy and numeracy scores than those
aged 16-24 in 2012, on average.
-
-
The
gap in skill
level between adults
with the lowest levels of education and those with upper
secondary or tertiary education
remains
substantial.
-
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Adults in the North of England aged
25-34 in 2023 have skills similar to those aged 16-24 in 2012
in the same region, while the largest increases in literacy and
numeracy skills were between 16–24-year-olds and
25–34-year-olds in the South.
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Commenting on the findings, NFER Research Director,
Rebecca Wheater, said:
“It is encouraging to see the
significant improvement in young adults' skills in the last
decade. However, there is still a noteable gap between adults
with upper secondary or tertiary education and those with the
lowest levels of education, where literacy and numeracy skills
remain stubbornly low.
“Addressing these skill gaps is
crucial in ensuring all young adults, regardless of background
and the educational pathway they follow, can develop the skills
they need for success.
“NFER has recently published a
report exploring
differences in young people's skill development across different
countries, to understand the factors that drive high
performance.
“This is the latest paper in a
five-year initiative led by NFER, the Skills Imperative 2035, which seeks to support the country develop the skills it
needs by 2035.”
ENDS℗ NOTES TO EDITORS
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The Survey of Adult Skills is part of the Programme for the International
Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) led by the
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD).
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This is the second cycle of the
Survey of Adult Skills. England last participated in 2012. The
2023 survey was carried out in 31 countries during 2022 and
2023.
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In England, the 2023 survey was
carried out on behalf of the Government by a consortium led by
Verian in partnership with the National Centre for Social
Research (NatCen) and the National Foundation for Educational
Research (NFER).
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4941 adults aged 16 to 65
participated in the survey, in their homes, between September
2022 and June 2023.
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Participating countries: Austria,
Canada, Chile, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, England, Estonia,
Finland, Flemish Community (Belgium), France, Germany, Hungary,
Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania,
Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore,
Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United
States
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The Skills Imperative
2035: NFER is leading a
strategic research partnership, funded by the Nuffield
Foundation, to identify the essential employment skills people
will need for work by 2035.
