Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Does having digital skills really pay off? Abstract: Having the highest levels of skills in problem solving using ICT (information and communication technologies) increases chances of participating in the labour force by six percentage points compared with adults who have the lowest levels of these skills, even after accounting for various other factors, such as age, gender, level of education, literacy and numeracy proficiency, and use of e-mail at home. Adults without ICT experience are less likely to participate in the labour force; if they are employed, they earn less than adults with ICT experience, after accounting for various other factors. Experience in using ICT has a particularly large impact on participation in the labour force and earnings in Australia, England/Northern Ireland (UK) and the United States. Workers who use ICT frequently have substantially higher wages than those who do not use ICT often.

Les compétences numériques : un investissement vraiment rentable ?
Le fait d’atteindre les niveaux les plus élevés de compétences en résolution de problèmes à l’aide des TIC (technologies de l’information et de la communication) augmente la probabilité d’être actif, pour un adulte, de 6 points de pourcentage par rapport aux individus se situant aux niveaux les plus faibles dans ce domaine, même après contrôle de différents autres facteurs, tels que l’âge, le sexe, le niveau de formation, le niveau de compétences en littératie et en numératie, et l’utilisation de la messagerie électronique dans le cadre privé. Les adultes sans expérience dans les TIC sont moins susceptibles d’être actifs, et lorsqu’ils occupent un emploi, sont moins bien rémunérés que les adultes expérimentés dans les TIC, après contrôle de différents autres facteurs. En Angleterre/Irlande du Nord (RU), en Australie, et aux États-Unis, l’expérience dans l’utilisation des TIC a une incidence particulièrement marquée sur le taux d’activité et la rémunération. Les actifs occupés faisant une utilisation fréquente des TIC ont une rémunération sensiblement plus élevée que celle des actifs occupés ne les utilisant pas souvent. Creation-Date: 2015-06-23 Number: 1 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduabb:1-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: What does low proficiency in literacy really mean? Abstract: The Survey of Adult Skills finds that even adults with the lowest proficiency in literacy possess some basic reading skills, although the level of these skills varies considerably across countries. Basic reading skills are revealed in both the accuracy in and speed of responding to reading tasks, which indicate the level of ease and automaticity of reading. Among adults with low proficiency in literacy, those who took the survey in a language different from their mother tongue had much poorer basic reading skills than native speakers. Creation-Date: 2016-04-14 Number: 2 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduabb:2-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: What does age have to do with skills proficiency? Abstract: The Survey of Adult Skills finds that adults aged 55 to 65 are less proficient in literacy and numeracy than adults aged 25 to 34. But differences in skills proficiency that are related to age vary widely across countries, implying that skills policies can affect the evolution of proficiency over a lifetime. And while older adults are generally less proficient than younger adults, they do no worse – and often better – than younger adults in terms of labour market outcomes. Creation-Date: 2016-04-26 Number: 3 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduabb:3-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: What is the relationship between education, literacy and self-reported health? Abstract: Highly-educated and highly-skilled individuals are more likely to report better health than the less-educated and less-skilled, even when comparing individuals with similar background characteristics. The difference in self-reported health that is associated with schooling is largest in Norway and the United States and smallest in France, Italy and Sweden. The association between self-reported health and literacy is highest in Austria and the United States. Cross-country differences in the association between schooling and self-reported health and between literacy proficiency and self-reported health suggest that healthcare and social welfare systems play an important role in shaping the association between schooling, literacy and health. Creation-Date: 2016-09-30 Number: 4 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduabb:4-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Do socio-economic disparities in skills grow between the teenage years and young adulthood? Abstract: The striking cross-national variation in socio-economic disparities in skills gaps among 15-year-olds, and the evolution of these gaps between the ages of 15 and 27, raises the question of what policies and institutional arrangements may explain such variability. Extensive policy analysis and research has been devoted to the features of education systems which are most strongly associated with such socio-economic gradients (or the lack of them) in literacy and numeracy. However, much less is known about which factors contribute to narrowing or widening socio-economic gaps after the end of compulsory schooling. Results on the widening gap at the bottom end of the performance distribution identify a target group for policy interventions – socio-economically disadvantaged students who are low-achievers at the age of 15. These results also help to formulate hypotheses as to why gaps widen in many countries after schools are no longer able to exert their equalising effect, since this is the group which is less likely to enjoy opportunities for further skill development through education and training. Creation-Date: 2017-03-28 Number: 5 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduabb:5-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Why are immigrants less proficient in literacy than native-born adults? Abstract: Results from the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) confirm that mastery of the host country’s language is essential if immigrants are to integrate successfully into their new communities and into the host country’s labour market. Given these findings, host countries could design and implement policies to provide language training to immigrants as soon as feasible after they arrive. This is particularly important for immigrant children, who can then attend school with their native-born peers. Creation-Date: 2017-05-31 Number: 6 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduabb:6-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: How much will the literacy level of the working-age population change from now to 2022? Abstract: Between 2012 and 2022, the literacy proficiency of the working-age population in the countries that took part in the Survey of Adult Skills is set to improve, mainly driven by the relatively low proficiency of the cohorts who will reach 65 between now and 2022 and the much higher literacy skills among the incoming age group. The participating countries are thus reaping the distant rewards of their investment in education since the 1970s. What these data show is that high quality schooling alone will not be enough to raise the quality of the workforce nearly as quickly as skills requirements are rising. Governments therefore need to redouble their efforts to make lifelong and lifewide learning a reality for all. Creation-Date: 2017-11-17 Number: 7 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduabb:7-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Students’ numeracy skills and practices Abstract: The results of the Survey of Adult Skills confirm that there is a strong link between the level of numeracy performance and the use of these skills in practice. In view of these findings, countries could further encourage the teaching of numeracy-related disciplines in a wider variety of higher education pathways. Such a measure is particularly important as numeracy skills and practices play a crucial role in many dimensions of individual well‑being. Creation-Date: 2018-07-26 Number: 8 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduabb:8-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Teenage parenthood: How does it relate to proficiency in literacy? Abstract: The results of the Adult Skills Assessment confirm that there is a strong link between the level of literacy proficiency and the rate of teenage motherhood. Countries where this link is strongest could further encourage the prevention of and support with pregnancies before the age of 20 in the groups at highest risk. These measures are all the more crucial as they are about protecting not just the most vulnerable teenagers but also their prospective children against the long-term consequences of these early births. Creation-Date: 2018-12-12 Number: 9 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduabb:9-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: How much time do adults spend on the PIAAC assessment and why does it matter? Abstract: Log files from computer-based assessment can help better understand respondents’ behaviours and cognitive strategies. Analysis of timing information from PIAAC reveals large differences in the time participants take to answer assessment items, as well as large country differences in the share of respondents that spent the minimum amount of time necessary to understand an item. These differences in the degree of effort exerted by respondents provide a useful complement to the analysis of international skills differences. Creation-Date: 2019-04-18 Number: 10 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduabb:10-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Investing in the skills of adult immigrants Abstract: Lifelong learning is especially important for immigrants, who are often at a disadvantage in terms of the languages and skills that are valued in the labour market of their host country. Yet foreign-born adults are less likely to participate in training than native-born ones, and face higher financial and non-financial barriers to training. Policy efforts should focus not only on providing more training opportunities, but also on removing barriers to participation. Creation-Date: 2019-12-20 Number: 11 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduabb:11-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Skills proficiency and the labour market outcomes of migrants Abstract: Across the OECD, the labour-market performance of foreign-born-adults tends to lag behind that of the native-born. Immigrants are not only more likely to be unemployed or inactive, but they also earn less and work in lower-skilled jobs. Differences in skills proficiency, language spoken and country of education explain a large part – albeit not the entirety – of these observed gaps. Policies should therefore aim to provide immigrants with effective language tuition, adult education and training programmes in order to ensure the successful integration of foreign-born workers into host economies. Creation-Date: 2020-02-11 Number: 12 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduabb:12-EN Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: OECD Title: Do gender gaps in reading and mathematics evolve between childhood and adulthood? Abstract: This issue of the Adult Skills in Focus series looks at gender differences in reading (literacy) and mathematics (numeracy) skills, and in particular how these differences evolve as people grow up. The analysis use data on three different assessments, administered to children in fourth grade (around 10 year-olds), to 15-year old adolescents, and to young adults aged 26-27.The data shows that girls have a small advantage in literacy at age 10, which grows larger by age 15. However, at age 26 this advantage disappears, and young adults achieve on average the same scores in the literacy assessment. The picture is very different in the case of numeracy skills. At age 10 the gaps are very small, with a tiny advantage for boys. The gap is larger at age 15 and grows even more by age 26, when young men achieve on average much higher scores. A possible explanation for these results is that men specialise in occupations and fields of study that make higher use of numeracy skills; men are also able to close the gap in literacy skills because reading is a transversal skill that people need to master to be successful in a wider range of occupations. Creation-Date: 2020-03-09 Number: 13 Handle: RePEc:oec:eduabb:13-EN