SDG 4: Quality Education | SDG 8: Decent Work & Economic Growth
Institutions: Ministry of Education | Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship
The OECDβs latest survey of adult skills under the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) shows that a significant share of adults across participating countries continue to lack basic levels of literacy, numeracy and adaptive problem-solving skills. On average, across OECD countries 18 % of adults do not meet basic proficiency in these key domains.
The report emphasises that skills matter not only for workersβ earnings and employment, but also for health, civic engagement and well-being. For example, individuals with higher numeracy skills are significantly more likely to report very good or excellent health.
Key policy implications include the need for:
stronger systems of lifelong learning and adult up-skilling;
integration of digital, cognitive and socio-emotional skills;
targeted support for groups at risk of low proficiency (older adults, less educated, marginalized); and aligning education and training systems to the changing nature of work and life-long skill demands.
For India, this underscores the urgency of strengthening the adult education agenda, skilling frameworks under Skill India, and bridging generational and regional skill gaps.
What Are Adaptive Problem-Solving Skills? β Adaptive problem-solving skills are the ability to use digital tools, navigate unfamiliar systems or information, and solve novel multi-step problemsβa domain increasingly important in modern work and life, but where many adults show weak proficiency.
Follow the full report here: https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/skills-that-matter-for-success-and-well-being-in-adulthood_6e318286-en.html