The rate of workers unqualified for their roles in England is the highest in the developed world, a report has suggested.
According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Adult Skills Survey, almost two in five (37%) workers in England are underqualified for their current job. This compares with 23% of workers in OECD countries who are more qualified than the available figures suggest.
The report, which assesses the literacy, numeracy and problem-solving skills of adults across 31 countries and economies, ranks England as having the highest percentage of unskilled workers. It states that being overqualified is associated with economic and social costs. In England, wages for over-qualified workers are on average around 18% lower than counterparts in similar jobs with similar educational qualifications.
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An employee is classified as overqualified when his highest qualification level is above the qualification level generally required for his job. The findings of the OECD study, which assessed almost 160,000 adults aged 16-65 in 2022-23, will be launched at an event in London on Tuesday where Skills Minister Jacqui Smith will speak. Andreas Schleicher, director of education and skills at the OECD, said there could be “better use of alternative routes” in England as efforts to strengthen these routes “have not been very successful”.
When asked about the high rates of overqualification and participation in higher education in England, he said: “I think there are signs that the British university system is overstretching itself.” Schleicher, who highlighted data which showed that high school graduates in Finland have the same or better skills than university graduates in England, told the PA news agency: “I think young people should be better equipped than the current The reason for this is to offer more diverse options for further education.” Exists.” He said: “There are clear signs that the increase in the number of people going to tertiary education, college education, university in England is being matched by a decline in the skill levels of that group.” He said England should consider giving “more prominence to other ways of learning other than just academic education”.
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The study, which involved 4,941 adults in England, also found that almost a fifth of adults in England did not score higher than Level 1 in literacy and numeracy, the lowest level on the OECD scale. In numeracy, 21% of adults scored at or below Level 1 proficiency, compared to the OECD average of 25%. This meant that they could only make very basic amounts. In literacy, 18% of adults achieved the lowest level, compared to the OECD average of 26%. This meant that they could understand short texts.
Skills Minister Jacqui Smith said: “We are determined to break down barriers to opportunity by developing a culture of lifelong learning, and this report shows we can and must do more to ensure that everyone Have the skills they need.” life. “Few skills are more important to life chances than literacy and numeracy, so while it is good that England has improved, the number of adults with low basic skills remains persistently high.
“We need to harness their talent if we want to drive growth, and our transformation plan outlines how we will break down the barriers to opportunity. “We will continue to help adults without English and maths qualifications study for free, and our Youth Guarantee will ensure 18-21 year olds can access high-quality training and employment opportunities.” Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK (UUK), said: “Government research shows that the only factors that made a positive and consistent contribution to productivity growth in recent years were rising levels of highly qualified skills and labour.
“The UK’s productivity challenges have a strong regional character, with areas with high participation in higher education recording the highest levels of productivity, while other areas lag behind. “Across all sectors, there is a strong relationship between productivity and the share of workers with higher education qualifications, a metric that has been increasing over time. “All the growth sectors identified in the government’s industrial strategy are driven by a graduate majority workforce. “This includes the life sciences sector with 73% of the graduate workforce and the digital and technology sector with 70%. “In fact, the government’s own analysis shows that, by 2035, we will need 11 million more graduates in the UK to meet our skills needs.”
