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Adult skills and productivity: New evidence from PIAAC 2023

Author

Listed:
  • Dan Andrews
  • Balázs Égert
  • Christine de la Maisonneuve

Abstract

The 2023 Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) reveals large cross-country differences in adult skill levels that carry important implications for productivity. Cross-country analysis shows a positive relationship between labour productivity and the average level of adult skills at the industry level –partly reflecting a positive link between adult skills and R&D intensity – which is estimated to account for one-quarter of cross-country differences in industry productivity. But the ways in which skilled workers are allocated to different job roles and firms also matters. Higher productivity is observed in industries with lower labour market mismatches and where high-skilled workers are employed in larger and more dynamic firms. Differences in these patterns of allocation can account for at least 12% of the productivity gaps between countries. These findings highlight the importance of policies aimed at enhancing adult skills and structural reforms to improve labour market adaptability and reallocation.

Suggested Citation

  • Dan Andrews & Balázs Égert & Christine de la Maisonneuve, 2025. "Adult skills and productivity: New evidence from PIAAC 2023," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 1834, OECD Publishing.
    • Handle: RePEc:oec:ecoaaa:1834-en
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    adult skills; human capital; labour allocation; labour productivity; OECD; PIAAC; R&D intensity; skill mismatch; structural reforms;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I26 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Returns to Education
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J63 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Turnover; Vacancies; Layoffs
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • O43 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Institutions and Growth
    • L16 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Industrial Organization and Macroeconomics; Macroeconomic Industrial Structure

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