Literacy and numeracy demands and usage in the workplace

This research focuses on the demand for and use of literacy and numeracy skills in low paid work. The motivation for the research is to examine the assumption, widely espoused by policy makers, that literacy and numeracy skills are vital at all levels of the labour market and that deficiencies in these skills are the source of widespread economic problems. The primary aim of this study is to understand the extent to which employees in low paid occupations use literacy and numeracy skills in their work. Alongside this, the research considers the extent of mismatch between the skills of employees and the demands of their job, the extent of change in the demand for literacy and numeracy skills and the sources of demand for literacy and numeracy skill.

Methodologically the research focuses on qualitative case studies of frontline work in two major low paying sectors, retail and residential care. Research took place in three nursing homes in England and three retail outlets in South Wales. This qualitative analysis is supplemented by a quantitative analysis of the Skills and Employment Surveys from 1997 to 2012, which provides a broader picture of the extent of and changes in the use of literacy and numeracy skills in low paid work. The research raises doubts about the extent of demand for literacy and numeracy skills in occupations at the lower end of the labour market and the incidence of deficiencies in the skills of employees. This in turn leads to questions about the viability of approaches to literacy and numeracy policy predicated on these assumptions.

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