PIAAC expert report

The expert report presents in-depth analyses based on the latest PIAAC data from 2022/23 (Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies) and was prepared by authors from a range of academic disci­pli­nes. Across twelve con­tri­bu­ti­ons, it addresses a wide variety of thematic areas, with a primary focus on the situation in Austria. Some analyses also include selected com­pa­ra­tor countries, thereby adding an inter­na­tio­nal dimension. Through its detailed findings, this edited volume provides a robust basis for dis­cus­sing potential policy measures and deriving practice-oriented recommendations.

Günter Hefler and Eva Steinheimer con­tri­bu­ted two chapters to the book:

4 Workplace Learning, Job Quality and Literacy. Solving Complex Problems at Work as a Key Indicator of Workplace Learning in International Comparison. p. 102–133.

• The con­tri­bu­ti­on examines the extent to which work­places function as learning envi­ron­ments that support the deve­lo­p­ment and main­ten­an­ce of adult literacy skills, and whether changes in work orga­ni­sa­ti­on – par­ti­cu­lar­ly the pre­va­lence of tasks requiring complex problem-solving – help explain sta­gna­ting or declining PIAAC literacy outcomes.
• Drawing on PIAAC data (2011/12 and 2022/23) from nine European countries, the analysis reveals sub­stan­ti­al dif­fe­ren­ces: while the OECD average shows a clear increase in learning-conducive work­places, this shift has not occurred in Austria, the Czech Republic or Slovakia, where declining literacy levels mirror weaker workplace learning conditions.
• The findings point to a cor­re­la­ti­on between the share of jobs involving complex problem-solving and trends in average literacy skills; countries with less expansion of learning-conducive work­places simul­ta­neous­ly record poorer literacy outcomes.
• Learning-conducive work­places represent a key dimension of job quality, as they enable informal learning and support the retention of skills across the life course. Policy stra­te­gies should therefore address job design, oppor­tu­ni­ties for workplace learning and the promotion of con­ti­nuing education.

9 Do We Have the Right Provision? PIAAC Findings on Opportunity Structures in Continuing Education for Adults with Low Literacy Skills. p. 238–267

• According to PIAAC 2022/23, around 1.7 million adults in Austria (29% of 16- to 65-year-olds) have very low literacy skills; this affects not only those with low formal qua­li­fi­ca­ti­ons but also indi­vi­du­als with inter­me­dia­te or higher qua­li­fi­ca­ti­ons, with first-language back­ground (German or not) playing a central role.
• Adults with low literacy par­ti­ci­pa­te in con­ti­nuing education signi­fi­cant­ly less often: only 16.6% take part in non-formal learning (compared with 41.1% among those with higher skills); par­ti­ci­pa­ti­on is par­ti­cu­lar­ly low among the formally low qualified, though slightly higher among those whose first languages do not include German.
• Participation is con­cen­tra­ted in a narrow set of course types (primarily language courses, espe­ci­al­ly German, and machine operation courses), while learning offers typically asso­cia­ted with workplace training are rarely accessed; formal con­ti­nuing education remains highly selective, and Austria ranks only in the lower mid-range of OECD countries for second-chance qualifications.
• The data indicate that low literacy and a lack of attrac­ti­ve, acce­s­si­ble provision limit par­ti­ci­pa­ti­on; recom­men­ded measures include workplace-based formats, syste­ma­tic outreach, target-group-specific non-voca­tio­nal offers, and stronger syste­ma­tisa­ti­on of the extensive German-as-a-second-language segment, much of which is not clas­si­fi­ed as formal education.