Digitalisation, population ageing and the transition to a low-carbon economy imply rapid changes in the skills needed to adapt and succeed in a constantly evolving labour market. The OECD helps countries and individuals and employers prepare for these changes.
Adult skills and work
The world of work is changing. In the face of digitalisation, globalisation, population ageing and the transition to a low-carbon economy, new jobs are emerging and skill needs in existing jobs are evolving. Adapting to these changes, through upskilling and reskilling, is crucial for adults to reap the benefits of the ongoing transformations and for business to adopt new technologies and work practices.
Key messages
In the face of the digital and green transition, adult learning is vital to ensure people have the skills required in an ever-changing labour market.
We analyse data to assess the future-readiness of countries’ adult learning systems and provide policy directions and international good practice examples to improve their performance.
The OECD assesses skills-related challenges and opportunities, and looks to help countries build more effective skills systems through tailor-made policy responses, while using the OECD Skills Strategy framework as its foundation.
As the complexity and frequency of cyber threats has risen, so too has the need for adequately trained cyber security professionals. Despite clear demand and the cyber security workforce being larger than ever, there is still a critical shortage of skilled workers. It is therefore essential for countries to invest in developing a skilled cyber security workforce.
Context
Participation in training
Participating in training is vital for adults to improve their skills. However, participation is actually lowest for adults who need training the most. This is due largely to a lack of awareness and motivation to train but there are also concrete barriers such as the lack of time due to work and family responsibilities and the cost of training.
The gap in participation between highly educated workers and workers who did not complete upper secondary education is 35 percentage points, which is similar to the gap between those working in high-skilled occupations versus those in low-skilled occupations. The gap is smaller but still quite high (25 points) for workers at the top and bottom of the earnings distribution and between old and young workers. Getting these under-represented groups on board is crucial to raise overall participation in training and to prepare the most vulnerable for the future of work.
Do you have the right skills for your job?
Many workers are mismatched for their jobs. They either have higher or lower qualifications than required or they are working in a field that does not correspond to what they have studied. This impacts their wages, job satisfaction and productivity. Reducing mismatch is crucial and requires a closer collaboration between education and training institutions and labour market actors.
In the OECD on average, 22% of adults are over-qualified in their job – i.e. they hold a qualification that is higher than what is required in their job – and 10% of adults are under-qualified in their job – i.e. they hold a qualification that is lower than required in their job.
Adult literacy
In a world of work where skill requirements are rising, particularly as a result of the digital transition and adoption of AI, adults with low literacy skills do not fare well. These foundation skills are crucial to navigate new opportunities at work and understand societal changes. Closing the literacy gap requires adult learning programmes focused on foundational skills and an active outreach to those who need them the most.
On average across OECD countries, one in four adults score at level 1 or below on the PIAAC literacy scale. These adults may not be able to read bus or train timetables or understand their pay slip. At the opposite end, only about 1 in 10 adults score at the highest level of literacy, across the OECD on average.
