Where Do U.S. Adults’ Skills Rank Internationally?

PIACC: The Survey of Adult Skills 1

The U.S. PIAAC Sample  Wave 1: 5,000 individuals ages  Wave 2: Adds 5,000 individuals (in 2015) to expand sample with  Unemployed adults (16-65)  Young adults (16-34)  Older adults (66-74)  Incarcerated adults (16-74) 2

Reports 3

Time for the U.S. to Reskill? 4

U.S. Rankings Internationally 5

U.S. Proficiency Trends 6

Major U.S. Findings: Great inequalities, Intergenerational impacts, & Negative social outcomes

Source: IES Presentation The U.S. has a very large low-skilled population. 8

U.S. performance in numeracy is particularly poor. 9

Source: Time for the U.S. to Reskill? Minorities are disproportionately represented in the low-skilled population. 10

Younger cohorts’ skills are not outpacing older cohorts’. 11

Adults from low-education families are 10 times more likely to have low skills. 12

The U.S. is not integrating immigrants well. 13

Learning disabilities play a role for adults with low skills. 14

Adults with low skills are 4 times more likely to have poor/fair health – 2 times the international average. 15

The U.S. has high participation rates in education and training. 16

Many U.S. low-skilled adults are employed. 17

Skills are highly rewarded in the U.S. labor market. 18

Recommendations and Reflections

Recommendations from OECD 1.Improve basic skills and tackle inequities. 2.Strengthen initial schooling for all. 3.Ensure effective and accessible education opportunities for young adults. 4.Link efforts to improve basic skills to employability. 5.Adapt to diversity. 6.Build awareness of the implications of weak basic skills [and the] links with other social factors. 7.Support action with evidence. Source: Time for the U.S. to Reskill? 20

U.S. Country Profile

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