Survey of Adult Skills to be launched; looking for over 4,000 participants

Sometimes also known as the PISA survey for adults, the survey being launched in September will assess adults’ proficiency in key information-processing skills - literacy, numeracy and problem solving. To make sure that the survey is successful and that the research material can be exploited and is of good quality, it is important to have enough participants in the survey.

Finland, together with more than 30 other countries, is participating in the Survey of Adult Skills coordinated by the OECD (PIAAC 2023). Using pragmatic exercises, the survey will assess how adults use their skills in everyday life and work.  

The survey will produce a valuable topical knowledge base to support the development of education, labour policy and competence. The survey will examine the level of basic skills and changes in it, how education and work tasks are linked to skills, how skills are used, and the links between skills and the paths in the lives of individual participants. 

The target group of the survey is the entire population between the ages of 16 and 65. Statistics Finland will start the research interviews in September and they will be conducted up until March 2023. The aim is to have over 4,000 participants participate in the survey. Each person invited to the survey is a representative of a large group of the adult population. This means that every participant counts. The first results will be published in 2024.

The survey helps to identify skills development needs 

The previous survey was conducted between 2011 and 2012. At the time, skills in Finland ranked among the best in the participating countries, with only Japan being better in proficiency in literacy and numeracy than Finland. It also transpired that the skills of about 600,000 people of working age were at a level that makes coping at work and with everyday life more difficult.

Proficiency in literacy, numeracy and problem solving are the bedrock for active participation in society and working life. These skills pave the way for continuous learning and critical media literacy. It is therefore in Finland’s best interest to safeguard a good level of basic skills in the whole population. Sound basic skills are also a feature of and prerequisite for an equitable society.

The survey is funded and guided by the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. The Finnish National Agency for Education provides support for the guidance. The Finnish Institute for Educational Research of the University of Jyväskylä and Statistics Finland are responsible for implementing the survey.

Inquiries

• Petri Haltia, Senior Ministerial Adviser, (Ministry of Education and Culture, tel. +358 2953 30096)
• Maija Lyly-Yrjänäinen, Senior Specialist, (Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 2950 47297)

Related links

Statistics Finland, Press release (in Finnish)

University of Jyväskylä (in Finnish)
OECD
PIAAC 2012