The OECD conclusions are based on the PIAAC survey conducted last year, which compares the competence of adults aged 16–65 internationally. More specifically, it assesses functional reading, mathematical literacy and problem-solving skills.
Estonia was ranked sixth among 31 countries. Latvia ranked 20th, Lithuania 28th, Finland 1st, Sweden 3rd, Canada 9th and USA 21th.
The results are the poorest in Ida-Viru County, the best in Harjumaa, which partly reflects the level of education of people. However, this may become problematic, according to the report, because the skills of adults are also strongly linked to the education of their parents. In Estonia, this effect on children's skills was much greater than in many other countries. In other words, the concentration of people with few skills in one region reproduces inequality.
The study also shows a significant gap between people's education and the needs of the labor market in Estonia. In particular, a large proportion of employees have higher levels of education than would be required to perform their job duties. In other words, people are not finding work that matches their education level and skills. There is also a significant mismatch between employees' skills and labor market needs, especially in computer and software skills.
A total of 160,000 adults from 41 countries participated in this survey. 6,665 adults took part from Estonia.
