Skills Matter: Additional Results from the Survey of Adult Skills

The Survey of Adult Skills, a product of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), measures the proficiency of working-age adults (16-65 year-olds) in three key information-processing skills: literacy, numeracy, and problem solving in technology-rich environments. In addition, the survey collects information on the reading- and numeracy-related activities of respondents, their use of information and communication technologies at work and in everyday life, and on a range of generic skills, such as collaborating with others and organizing their time, required of individuals in their work. The first cycle of the Survey of Adult Skills was conducted over three rounds of data collection, surveying around 166,000 adults aged 16-65 years in 24 countries (or regions within these countries) in 2011-12. Nine countries (or regions within these countries) took part in a second round of data collection in 2014-15 with 50,250 adults surveyed, and a third round of 34,972 adults was conducted in 2017-18 in six countries (including the United States).