SINGAPORE: Singapore’s ranking in an international study of adults’ literacy, numeracy and adaptive problem-solving skills has improved, results show.
The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) assesses a workforce’s capacity to acquire further knowledge and new skills, said the Ministry of Education, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and the Institute for Adult Learning in a joint press release on Tuesday (Dec 10).
Singapore was the most improved country for numeracy, alongside Finland, placing 10th out of 31 countries in the latest cycle from 2022 to 2023.
It was 25th out of 39 countries in the previous cycle, which was held from 2014 to 2015.
The country’s mean score for numeracy proficiency is higher than the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average this cycle.
Singapore’s literacy proficiency scores remained stable, but the country scored below the OECD average in both cycles of the study.
Its ranking rose to 18th out of 31 countries in the latest cycle, compared with 28th out of 39 countries in the previous cycle.
Singapore’s adaptive problem-solving score of 252 was also comparable to the OECD average of 251.
The PIAAC provides insights on how Singapore has been developing its people, and serves as a benchmark to compare the country’s human capital outcomes and efforts against OECD countries, said SSG.
“While we're not chasing rankings at all, what this does suggest is that Singaporeans as a whole on aggregate, we have improved our overall capacity to pick up new skills, to improve and upskill and reskill,” said Ms Pao Jia Yu, deputy chief executive for planning at SSG and Workforce Singapore.
"Of course, there are still areas to improve, and what we need to do is to reinforce this progress by continuing our efforts to upskill and constantly reskill ourselves, even outside of school."
The study assessed 5,000 Singaporean and permanent resident participants aged 16 to 65 on their literacy and numeracy proficiency, as well as adaptive problem skills, which is a new category this cycle.
Adaptive problem-solving refers to the ability to achieve one’s goals in a dynamic situation, where a solution is not immediately available.
The tests were conducted in person and in English since it is Singapore’s main working language, said SSG.
First, participants responded to a background questionnaire that collected information on their education level, employment status, what skills they use at work and in daily life, as well as their participation in social activities like volunteering.
After they are taught how to use the tablet loaded with the test questions, they take a locator test comprising eight literacy and eight numeracy questions, which serves as an initial assessment of their current proficiency levels.
If they pass the locator test, they continue on to the actual test, which includes questions for two of the three skills shuffled from a question bank according to their estimated abilities.
Individuals who were more proficient with using mathematical skills tended to be in jobs that paid higher wages, said SSG.
Singapore’s workforce participation in continuous education also remains comparable to the OECD average, it added.
For example, 53.4 per cent of respondents who participated in job-related training said they did so to enhance their job performance or career prospects.
Adults of different age groups saw proficiency gaps, said SSG. Across most of the participating countries, adults aged 55 to 65 had the lowest average proficiency in all three domains.
In Singapore, younger adults aged 16 to 34 scored above the OECD average in all three domains.
All countries also saw proficiency gaps between adults of different education levels.
For example, in Singapore, tertiary-educated adults scored 48 points higher in literacy than those with upper secondary education, who in turn scored 59 points higher than those with less than upper secondary education.
Singapore also observed that literacy proficiency started to decline at an earlier age, with similar trends observed in Hungary, South Korea, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia.
Most countries that participated in the study saw a decline in literacy proficiency, but the age where the decline starts and the rate of the decline differs, it added.
The decline in literacy proficiency in Singapore could be due to a cohort effect - younger cohorts have benefited from significant improvements to the education system over the years, with a higher proportion of them having at least a tertiary education, said SSG.
Using skills at work and in daily life may also be less demanding compared to during schooling years, which may result in skills declining over time, it added.
Over time, gaps between the workers’ existing skills and new demands that emerge over time will also form, said SSG.
SSG will continue to support individuals to continue to upskill and reskill, said Ms Pao, noting the S$4,000 (US$3,000) SkillsFuture credit top-up for Singaporeans aged 40 and above.
"The other thing to highlight is of course that workplaces are very important touch points and settings for individuals to continue building their skills, to continue honing and developing their skills, because it has to be done throughout life," she added.
SSG will work closely with employers to support them and enhance their role in investing in skills development and learning at the workplace, said Ms Pao.
"I think this link between industry and skills development is vital in order to ensure that there is quality industry-relevant and readily accessible for individuals to keep up to date and stay competitive."
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The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) assesses a workforce’s capacity to acquire further knowledge and new skills, said the Ministry of Education, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and the Institute for Adult Learning in a joint press release on Tuesday (Dec 10).
Singapore was the most improved country for numeracy, alongside Finland, placing 10th out of 31 countries in the latest cycle from 2022 to 2023.
It was 25th out of 39 countries in the previous cycle, which was held from 2014 to 2015.
The country’s mean score for numeracy proficiency is higher than the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average this cycle.
Singapore’s literacy proficiency scores remained stable, but the country scored below the OECD average in both cycles of the study.
Its ranking rose to 18th out of 31 countries in the latest cycle, compared with 28th out of 39 countries in the previous cycle.
Singapore’s adaptive problem-solving score of 252 was also comparable to the OECD average of 251.
The PIAAC provides insights on how Singapore has been developing its people, and serves as a benchmark to compare the country’s human capital outcomes and efforts against OECD countries, said SSG.
“While we're not chasing rankings at all, what this does suggest is that Singaporeans as a whole on aggregate, we have improved our overall capacity to pick up new skills, to improve and upskill and reskill,” said Ms Pao Jia Yu, deputy chief executive for planning at SSG and Workforce Singapore.
"Of course, there are still areas to improve, and what we need to do is to reinforce this progress by continuing our efforts to upskill and constantly reskill ourselves, even outside of school."
HOW WAS THE STUDY CONDUCTED?
The study assessed 5,000 Singaporean and permanent resident participants aged 16 to 65 on their literacy and numeracy proficiency, as well as adaptive problem skills, which is a new category this cycle.
Adaptive problem-solving refers to the ability to achieve one’s goals in a dynamic situation, where a solution is not immediately available.
The tests were conducted in person and in English since it is Singapore’s main working language, said SSG.
First, participants responded to a background questionnaire that collected information on their education level, employment status, what skills they use at work and in daily life, as well as their participation in social activities like volunteering.
After they are taught how to use the tablet loaded with the test questions, they take a locator test comprising eight literacy and eight numeracy questions, which serves as an initial assessment of their current proficiency levels.
If they pass the locator test, they continue on to the actual test, which includes questions for two of the three skills shuffled from a question bank according to their estimated abilities.
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OBSERVATIONS FROM SINGAPORE
Individuals who were more proficient with using mathematical skills tended to be in jobs that paid higher wages, said SSG.
Singapore’s workforce participation in continuous education also remains comparable to the OECD average, it added.
For example, 53.4 per cent of respondents who participated in job-related training said they did so to enhance their job performance or career prospects.
Adults of different age groups saw proficiency gaps, said SSG. Across most of the participating countries, adults aged 55 to 65 had the lowest average proficiency in all three domains.
In Singapore, younger adults aged 16 to 34 scored above the OECD average in all three domains.
All countries also saw proficiency gaps between adults of different education levels.
For example, in Singapore, tertiary-educated adults scored 48 points higher in literacy than those with upper secondary education, who in turn scored 59 points higher than those with less than upper secondary education.
Singapore also observed that literacy proficiency started to decline at an earlier age, with similar trends observed in Hungary, South Korea, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia.
Most countries that participated in the study saw a decline in literacy proficiency, but the age where the decline starts and the rate of the decline differs, it added.
The decline in literacy proficiency in Singapore could be due to a cohort effect - younger cohorts have benefited from significant improvements to the education system over the years, with a higher proportion of them having at least a tertiary education, said SSG.
Using skills at work and in daily life may also be less demanding compared to during schooling years, which may result in skills declining over time, it added.
Over time, gaps between the workers’ existing skills and new demands that emerge over time will also form, said SSG.
SSG will continue to support individuals to continue to upskill and reskill, said Ms Pao, noting the S$4,000 (US$3,000) SkillsFuture credit top-up for Singaporeans aged 40 and above.
"The other thing to highlight is of course that workplaces are very important touch points and settings for individuals to continue building their skills, to continue honing and developing their skills, because it has to be done throughout life," she added.
SSG will work closely with employers to support them and enhance their role in investing in skills development and learning at the workplace, said Ms Pao.
"I think this link between industry and skills development is vital in order to ensure that there is quality industry-relevant and readily accessible for individuals to keep up to date and stay competitive."
Continue reading...