Adult skills in reading comprehension, calculation and problem solving are stagnating or declining in the vast majority of OECD countries, with France below the average, according to a study published Tuesday.
Twelve years after a previous survey, artificial intelligence and digitalization “revolutionize the use of basic skills and their daily use”notes the survey by the OECD’s Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (Piaac).
The skills of 160,000 people aged 16 to 65, representing 673 million inhabitants from 31 of the 38 OECD countries, were tested.
“Over the past decade, only Finland and Denmark have experienced significant improvements in adult reading comprehension (literacy), while other countries or economies participating in the survey have experienced stagnation or decline. »according to the study.
In arithmetic, eight countries saw their scores improve while it deteriorated in seven others.
In France, “the levels of skill mastery observed in 2023 change little compared to the first edition of Piaac carried out in 2012”according to an analysis note from the studies department of the French Ministry of Labor (Dares).
Artificial intelligence and digitalization are “revolutionizing the use of basic skills and their daily use”, notes the OECD Piaac survey / NICOLAS ASFOURI / AFP/Archives
But in reading comprehension, 28% of adults in France have a level of mastery ” weak “compared to 22% a decade ago, while 64% today have a level ” intermediate “compared to 70% in 2012.
The gap with the OECD average remains approximately the same as in 2012. In calculation and adaptive problem solving (which consists of identifying solutions to a problem whose terms may change), France is getting closer to the average, without however reaching it.
“Inequalities are increasing” in France, also notes Dares, which points to modifications in the investigation protocol “affecting the results obtained by people having the most difficulty with IT tools”.
The service also mentions other factors, such as being born abroad with a mother tongue other than French or having grown up “in a predominantly working-class household”.
“Concern for democracies”
In international comparison in 2023, Finland has the best level in reading comprehension and numeracy, which also comes first in problem solving, tied with Japan. The Netherlands, Norway and Sweden are also among the highest ranked.
Eleven countries, including France, display “performance systematically below the OECD average in all areas of competence” / XAVIER LEOTY / AFP/Archives
Conversely, 11 countries, including France, display “performance consistently below the OECD average in all skill areas”according to the conclusions of the Piaac investigation.
France notably lags behind Germany in all three areas, particularly marked with regard to calculation.
In reading comprehension, it is on par with Austria and Singapore; in calculation, it compares to Hungary and Croatia, while in problem solving, it is at the level of the United States.
Across OECD countries, “the link between employment and skills is weaker” today than in 2012, probably because of the greater difficulty for employers to recruit.
But the skills remain “closely associated with individual well-being and civic engagement”. Also, “Many low-skilled adults feel disconnected from politics and lack the skills to access complex digital information, which is a growing concern for modern democracies”.
Finally, a third of workers in OECD countries cannot find work that matches their qualifications, skills or studies. Gold, “There are significant economic and social costs associated with overqualification in employment, including a 12% reduced salary (on average) and a four percentage point reduced likelihood of being satisfied with one’s life”according to the survey summary.
